command issued from within bash script not working

[PsySc0rpi0n]

Hello again.

I have been working in a simple script to run a command in an automated fashion.

This script is supposed to build the command that can take a significant amount of parameters, append quite some special chars an values to it and then issue it in terminal.
I managed to make the script to build the command I intend to run in terminal. The command is correctly built,I can assure that because I did a "printf" of the command built by the script, ran it directly in the terminal and it worked smoothly.

So, are there any common/known reasons for a command not run from inside a bash script? If needed, I'll paste here the piece of code that builds the command and will also paste the command built and ready to run directly in terminal.

Thanks
Psy

[ruwolf]

I do not know such program (which cannot be run from bash script).
BTW, there are 2 types of commands: built-in utilities (in shell) and stand-alone programs.

[PsySc0rpi0n]

I do not know such program (which cannot be run from bash script).
BTW, there are 2 types of commands: built-in utilities (in shell) and stand-alone programs.

I don't say it cannot run, but for some reason, it is not running. The command, instead of executing, returns it's own menu help as if the command syntax is wrong, but it is not because I added a line to "echo" the built command and copied it to the terminal and ran it and it worked.

I think this might be related somehow with bash and the program itself, which is a bridge to a JSON application to run RPC commands.
To be more specific, I'm trying to run a bitcoin core command. This command is bitcoin-cli with a bunch of parameters that will communicate with an already running bitcoin daemon which then sends the command to a JSON server and returns the response to the daemon which will in turn send it to this bitcoin-cli program that I'm using from within my script!

To make it simpler, the workflow is like:

bitcoin-cli sends an "user-friendly RPC" to bitcoind daemon.
bitcoind ddaemon converts this command into a JSON RPC and sends it to the JSON server
server responds to bitcoind daemon
bitcoind deamon converts this JSON response into a JSON object properly formatted and sends it to bitcoin-cli
bitcoin-cli shows that JSON object in terminal with the result of the JSON RPC.

Somewhere in the middle, my script, which simply builds this command that bitcoin-cli sends to bitcoind daemon, probably have some issue that prevents the command to be correctly sent from bitcoin-cli to bitcoind.

[Dai_trying]

I would prefer Python for such a task, one guide that help in your case would be https://upcoder.com/7/bitcoin-rpc-from-python/ or if you want a youtube guide you could try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xAO4K7FC6E. I don't use bitcoin-cli so cannot test it but I would think it would be easier for you once you grasp the basics of Python.

[v&n]

If needed, I'll paste here the piece of code that builds the command and will also paste the command built and ready to run directly in terminal.

I believe that should be the first step when asking for help on a script.

[pylkko]

you need to show the script, otherwise it's just guessing. Also, you need to tell us how it is being launched. You progbably mean that you have commands that you run manually with your user and they work, but they do not in the script. If so, then are you running it under another user, with different privileges and environment?

[PsySc0rpi0n]

I would prefer Python for such a task, one guide that help in your case would be https://upcoder.com/7/bitcoin-rpc-from-python/ or if you want a youtube guide you could try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xAO4K7FC6E. I don't use bitcoin-cli so cannot test it but I would think it would be easier for you once you grasp the basics of Python.

Well, I started this with bash script an I already have other 4 functionalities working. So, it would be throwing work out to the basket can if I just choose to change now! At this point this is the last functionality I need to get working. So, for now, I'm sticking to bash script mainly because it's kind of the correct choice to run commands in terminal an automate tasks.

But thank you for the links. They might be useful in the future if I see I can't do something with bash!

[PsySc0rpi0n]

Code: Select all

send_to_mult_addr(){
   load_addr_data

   val=$(printf "%.9f" $(echo $(bitcoin-cli -testnet getbalance) / "$num_addr" | bc -l))

   printf 'Value to send: %0.8f BTC\n' "$val"
   while true
   do
       echo "Confirm with YES or cancel with NO (caps matter)"
       read -r -p '> ' opt
       case $opt in
           "YES") count=0
                  com_params="\"\" \"{"
                  for i in "${addr_arr[@]}"
                  do
                     ((count++))
                     com_params+="\\\"$i\\\""
                     if [ "$count" -lt "$num_addr" ]; then
                        com_params+=":$val,"
                     else
                        com_params+=":$val"
                     fi
                  done
                  com_params+="}\" 6 \"Periodic payments\" \"["

                  count=0
                  for i in "${addr_arr[@]}"
                  do
                     ((count++))
                     if [ "$count" -lt "$num_addr" ]; then
                        com_params+="\\\"$i\\\","
                     else
                        com_params+="\\\"$i\\\"]\""
                     fi
                     done
                     com_params+=" true 6 CONSERVATIVE"
                     echo "bitcoin-cli -testnet sendmany "$com_params""
                     #bitcoin-cli -testnet sendmany "$com_params"
                     printf 'TxID: %s\n' "$?"
                     return 1
                     ;;
           "NO") echo "Action cancelled!"
                 return 2
                 ;;
       esac
   done
}


Basically this function builds a bitcoin-cli command to send bitcoin to BTC addresses dynamically, depending on how many addresses it loads from a file.

The line of code that holds the complete command is:

Code: Select all

bitcoin-cli -testnet sendmany "$com_params"

So, to test the built comman, I "echo'ed" it and then I ran the script so that the built command is printed in the terminal. Then I copied the entire command and ran it directly terminal. And it worked correctly. However, if I run the script and execute the command from within the script, the output is the menu help for the "sendmany" option. It just says "Error code: -1" and the menu help.

So, knowing that the command works correctly if issued directly from the command line, what could be going on?
I attached an image where the error message can be seen. Not that it helps much, but....

Thanks
Psy

Edited;
I can't attach the file... It says the maximum number of attachments was achieved. Although it was only a single image file!

[Bloom]

From what I can see, you defined a big Bash function and then didn't call it. The result from this would be no output.

[Dai_trying]

Not sure if this is the case with your script or not but I recall having similar issue with a script and it was caused by the command list being seen as a single item, a bit like using quotes with parameters when calling a script to allow spaces in text etc.

To demonstrate what I mean use a simple script like this

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash

echo "Parameter 1 = $1"
echo "Parameter 2 = $2"


example1

Code: Select all

dai@trying:~$ ./test_script some text to say
Parameter 1 = some
Parameter 2 = text


example 2

Code: Select all

dai@trying:~$ ./test_script "some text" "to say"
Parameter 1 = some text
Parameter 2 = to say


example 3 (what I think is happening with your command)

Code: Select all

dai@trying:~$ ./test_script "some text to say"
Parameter 1 = some text to say
Parameter 2 =


So what you might need to do is separate the different parameters required and use a different variable name for each and apply them individually, something like this

Code: Select all

    bitcoin-cli -testnet sendmany "$com_params_1" "$com_params_2" "$com_params_3"

Obviously the amount of parameters required by the command will dictate how you will need to assign the relevant data.

[PsySc0rpi0n]

And how am I supposed to add the "", {}, [], :, \ and the , ?

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[ruwolf]

When you give string in bash command argument to apostrophes (“'”, ASCII code 0x27), it will be not interpreted, it will by used literality as you has written it.
E.g.:

Code: Select all

echo '"", {}, [], :, \ \n \r ? '

will write it as exact copy:

Code: Select all

"", {}, [], :, \ \n \r ?

Another method for disabling interpretation of special character is writing it after back-slash (“\”, ASCII code 0x5C)
You can find fore information in manual of bash, section Quoting.

[PsySc0rpi0n]

When you give string in bash command argument to apostrophes (“'”, ASCII code 0x27), it will be not interpreted, it will by used literality as you has written it.
E.g.:

Code: Select all

echo '"", {}, [], :, \ \n \r ? '

will write it as exact copy:

Code: Select all

"", {}, [], :, \ \n \r ?

Another method for disabling interpretation of special character is writing it after back-slash (“\”, ASCII code 0x5C)
You can find fore information in manual of bash, section Quoting.

I'm not sure I explained myself accurately.

If I just use the escape char to escape them, won't they be seen as a parameter themselves? I don't know if I try to add the special chars to the parameters themselves, it will probably turn into errors.

I guess I'll have to try.
Probably trying to use 'eval' won't be of much help either, right?

I think I'll try something like:

param1="\"\"", because I need this to be seen by the bitcoin-cli app exactly as doubles quotes which means a first empty parameter.

Then I need to open the list of those long strings with an "{. I don't know if I can pass this as 'param2'. I'll need to close this later.

Then I'll need to dynamically append the long strings, according to what is read from a file and that is already stored in an array in memory.

What I want to say is that I cannot add the special chars statically because I always need to append strings dinamically. Or maybe I'm not figuring out the whole picture!

I'll give it a few tries when I get home!
Thanks
Psy

[Dai_trying]

One more thing to think about, would it be easier (programmatically) to loop through your list and send each pair individually, I realise this would take the script longer to complete and would also result in making a new connection as it sends each each one (pair), but it might be easier to program for now.

[PsySc0rpi0n]

I don't think this can be done like this. Or at least I have no idea how it can be done!

I can't build the command just by doing something like:

Code: Select all

bitcoin-cli -testnet senmany $param_1 $param_2 $param_n

due at least 2 reasons.

First, I on't know how would I add the in between commas, brackets, spaces, etc.

The syntax is as follows:

Code: Select all

bitcoin-cli sendmany "" "{\"1D1ZrZNe3JUo7ZycKEYQQiQAWd9y54F4XX\":0.01,\"1353tsE8YMTA4EuV7dgUXGjNFf9KpVvKHz\":0.02}" 1 "" "[\"1D1ZrZNe3JUo7ZycKEYQQiQAWd9y54F4XX\",\"1353tsE8YMTA4EuV7dgUXGjNFf9KpVvKHz\"]"

where the first pair of double quotes is a parameter. then starts a block with ' "{' and closes with the matching '}" '. Inside this block there are 2 parameters or sub parameters which are the pairs

Code: Select all

\"1D1ZrZNe3JUo7ZycKEYQQiQAWd9y54F4XX\":0.01

an are separated with a comma. Then comes the 1 which is another parameter. Then another pair of doubles quotes that may (or not) be empty, and so one. So these special chars that are intended to separate items in a list or to separate parameters, must be appended but not as parameters, I guess.

An 2nd, I would completely be unable to add more parameters if the number of parameters in the file changes.
I mean, if I try to write the script by manually writing each param as I did above, how would I add more parameters dynamically if the number of parameters in the file changes?