OS Command Properties
The runtime environment for commands added to the OS Commands tool is configured in the dialog shown when the item is added or edited.
Shared Properties
All OS Command types share the following configurable properties:
Title is the display title to use for the command. If not set, the command line or file name is shown instead.
Run in Container is present in projects that use a container configuration, to select whether the command should be run on the local host or in the container.
I/O Encoding is the encoding to use for text sent to and received from the sub-process.
Key Binding assigns a key binding to execute the command. To enter a binding, just press the desired binding while focus is in the Key Binding field. Bindings can consist of multiple parts, such as Ctrl-H B. Pressing multiple keys will create a key binding sequence, unless too much time elapses between the key presses. To reset the value to blank (no key binding), select all text and press Backspace or Delete.
Raise OS Commands When Executed causes the OS Commands tool to be shown whenever this command is executed. When disabled, the tool will not be brought to front.
Auto-save Files Before Execution automatically saves any unsaved changes in open files before the command is executed, even if the Files > Auto-Save Files Before Debug or Execute preference is disabled.
Use Pseudo-TTY (on Linux and macOS) runs the subprocess in a pseudo-TTY and tries to (minimally) emulate how the command would work in a shell. Many of the ANSI escape sequences are not supported, but the basics should work. For some commands, adding options can help it to work better in the OS Commands tool. For example, bash -norc works better than bash if you have bash using colors, and ipython -colors NoColor works better than ipython alone. This option is omitted for OS Commands being executed on Windows.
Line Mode (on Linux and macOS) can be disabled to enter raw mode and send every keystroke to the subprocess, rather than collecting input line by line. Often, but not always, when a pseudo-TTY is being used then line mode should be disabled. Some experimentation may be required to determine the best settings. This option is omitted for OS Commands executed on Windows, and all I/O is performed line by line.
Shared stores the OS Command in the Settings Directory so that it appears in all projects.
Additional Properties for Command Lines
The Environment tab provided for Command Line style OS Commands allows specifying the Initial Directory, Python Path, and Environment, which act the same as the corresponding values configurable in Project Properties.
Hostname (only in Wing Pro) is used with Command Line style OS Commands to select the remote host where the command should be executed. For Python File and Named Entry Point style OS Commands, the hostname on which the command will execute is determined by the location of the Python file. See Remote Hosts for details.
In command lines, use $(ENV) or ${ENV} to insert values from the environment or from the special variables enumerated in Environment Variable Expansion. These values will be empty if undefined.
Note that the commands are executed on their own and not in a shell, so any commands that are built into the shell cannot be used here. For example, on Windows dir and some others are built-in commands so cannot be used directly; however, the form cmd /c dir will work in this case. On Linux, invoking bash directly may be necessary in similar cases.
Additional Properties for Python Files
For Python File style OS Commands, Python Prompt after Execution in the Options menu specifies that the Python interpreter should be left active and at a prompt after the file is executed.
Test Execute
While editing command properties, the Test Execute button can be used to try executing with the current settings. A temporary entry is added to the OS Commands tool, and removed again after the command properties dialog is closed.
