Class ExecRunner


  • public class ExecRunner
    extends Object

    Runs external executables, optionally under a watched thread. In addition, probably the most useful feature of ExecRunner is using it to run a command-line program and obtain its stdout and stderr results in two strings. This is done with exec(String) - see that method for an example. With acknowledgements to Michael C. Daconta, author of "Java Pitfalls, Time Saving Solutions, and Workarounds to Improve Programs." and his article in JavaWorld "When Runtime.exec() Won't".

    Author:
    Scott McCrory .
    • Constructor Detail

      • ExecRunner

        public ExecRunner()
        Basic ExecRunner constructor.
    • Method Detail

      • exec

        public int exec​(String command)
                 throws IOException,
                        InterruptedException
        The exec(String) method runs a process inside of a watched thread. It returns the client's exit code and feeds its STDOUT and STDERR to ExecRunner's out and err strings, where you then use getOutString() and getErrString() to obtain these values. Example:
        
         // Execute the program and grab the results
         try {
             ExecRunner er = new ExecRunner();
             er.setMaxRunTimeSecs(5);
             er.exec("ls -l");
             if (!er.getMaxRunTimeExceeded()) {
                 out = er.getOutString();
                 err = er.getErrString();
             } else {
                 System.out.println("Maximum run time exceeded!");
             }
         } catch (Throwable e) {
             System.out.println("Error executing " + program + ": " + e.getMessage());
             continue;
         }
         
        Parameters:
        command - The program or command to run
        Returns:
        The command's return code
        Throws:
        IOException - thrown if a problem occurs
        InterruptedException - thrown if a problem occurs
      • exec

        public int exec​(String command,
                        PrintWriter stdoutWriter,
                        PrintWriter stderrWriter)
                 throws IOException,
                        InterruptedException
        The exec(String, PrintWriter, PrintWriter) method runs a process inside of a watched thread. It returns the client's exit code and feeds its STDOUT and STDERR to the passed-in streams.
        Parameters:
        command - The program or command to run
        stdoutWriter - java.io.PrintWriter
        stderrWriter - java.io.PrintWriter
        Returns:
        The command's return code
        Throws:
        IOException - thrown if a problem occurs
        InterruptedException - thrown if a problem occurs
      • getErrString

        public String getErrString()
        Returns the error string if exec(String) was invoked.
        Returns:
        The error string if exec(String) was invoked.
      • isMaxRunTimeExceeded

        public boolean isMaxRunTimeExceeded()
        Returns whether the maximum runtime was exceeded or not.
        Returns:
        boolean indicating whether the maximum runtime was exceeded or not.
      • getMaxRunTimeSecs

        public int getMaxRunTimeSecs()
        Returns the maximum run time in seconds for this object.
        Returns:
        the maximum run time in seconds for this object.
      • getOutString

        public String getOutString()
        Returns the output string if exec(String) was invoked.
        Returns:
        The output string if exec(String) was invoked.
      • main

        public static void main​(String[] args)
                         throws IOException
        This is for unit testing of the class.
        Parameters:
        args - an array of command-line arguments
        Throws:
        IOException - thrown if a problem occurs
      • setMaxRunTimeSecs

        public void setMaxRunTimeSecs​(int max)
        Sets the maximum run time in seconds. If you do not want to limit the executable's run time, simply pass in a 0 (which is also the default).
        Parameters:
        max - Maximim number of seconds to let program run