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DataFlex

Receive from an SSH Channel Until a Pattern Matches

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Demonstrates the Chilkat Ssh.ChannelReceiveUntilMatch method, which receives text until the accumulated text matches a pattern. The arguments are the channel number, the pattern, the charset, and whether matching is case-sensitive. Existing buffered text is checked before waiting for more network data.

Important: Set the ReadTimeoutMs property before calling this method. It defaults to 0, meaning no limit, so without it the call waits forever if the received data never contains a match.

Background: Driving a shell channel means knowing when the remote side has finished talking. With no PTY requested the shell is non-interactive and never prints a prompt, so the reliable signal is a marker you deliberately echo after your command. This method automates "read until you see X." The pattern syntax is deliberately minimal: literal characters plus *, which matches zero or more characters and can span line breaks. ? and bracket classes are not supported, and backslash does not escape a literal *.

Chilkat DataFlex Downloads

DataFlex
Use ChilkatAx-win32.pkg

Procedure Test
    Boolean iSuccess
    Handle hoSsh
    Integer iSshPort
    String sPassword
    Integer iChannelNum
    Boolean iCaseSensitive
    String sOutput
    String sTemp1
    Boolean bTemp1

    Move False To iSuccess

    //  Demonstrates the Ssh.ChannelReceiveUntilMatch method, which receives text until the
    //  accumulated text matches a pattern.  The 1st argument is the channel number, the 2nd is the
    //  pattern, the 3rd is the charset, and the 4th selects case-sensitive matching.  The pattern
    //  supports literal characters plus "*", which matches zero or more characters.

    Get Create (RefClass(cComChilkatSsh)) To hoSsh
    If (Not(IsComObjectCreated(hoSsh))) Begin
        Send CreateComObject of hoSsh
    End

    Move 22 To iSshPort
    Get ComConnect Of hoSsh "ssh.example.com" iSshPort To iSuccess
    If (iSuccess = False) Begin
        Get ComLastErrorText Of hoSsh To sTemp1
        Showln sTemp1
        Procedure_Return
    End

    //  Normally you would not hard-code the password in source.  You should instead obtain it
    //  from an interactive prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
    Move "mySshPassword" To sPassword

    Get ComAuthenticatePw Of hoSsh "mySshLogin" sPassword To iSuccess
    If (iSuccess = False) Begin
        Get ComLastErrorText Of hoSsh To sTemp1
        Showln sTemp1
        Procedure_Return
    End

    Get ComOpenSessionChannel Of hoSsh To iChannelNum
    If (iChannelNum < 0) Begin
        Get ComLastErrorText Of hoSsh To sTemp1
        Showln sTemp1
        Procedure_Return
    End

    //  Start a shell WITHOUT requesting a PTY.  Without a PTY the shell sees it is connected to a
    //  raw data pipe and enters non-interactive mode: it suppresses the command prompt, does not
    //  echo typed commands back, and skips interactive login scripts.  The output is therefore
    //  clean and easily parseable -- but because no prompt is ever sent, code must not wait for
    //  one.  Instead, have each command print a predictable marker, or wait for EOF / channel close.
    Get ComSendReqShell Of hoSsh iChannelNum To iSuccess
    If (iSuccess = False) Begin
        Get ComLastErrorText Of hoSsh To sTemp1
        Showln sTemp1
        Procedure_Return
    End

    //  There is no prompt to wait for, so make the command itself announce when it has finished
    //  by echoing a marker after it.
    Get ComChannelSendString Of hoSsh iChannelNum "ls -l /tmp; echo DONE_MARKER" + (character(10)) "utf-8" To iSuccess
    If (iSuccess = False) Begin
        Get ComLastErrorText Of hoSsh To sTemp1
        Showln sTemp1
        Procedure_Return
    End

    //  IMPORTANT: Set a read timeout before receiving until a match.  ReadTimeoutMs defaults to 0,
    //  which means no limit -- without it, this call waits forever if the received data never
    //  contains a match.
    Set ComReadTimeoutMs Of hoSsh To 15000

    //  Receive until the marker appears in the output.
    Move False To iCaseSensitive
    Get ComChannelReceiveUntilMatch Of hoSsh iChannelNum "DONE_MARKER" "utf-8" iCaseSensitive To iSuccess
    If (iSuccess = False) Begin
        Get ComLastErrorText Of hoSsh To sTemp1
        Showln sTemp1
        Procedure_Return
    End

    Get ComGetReceivedText Of hoSsh iChannelNum "utf-8" To sOutput
    Get ComLastMethodSuccess Of hoSsh To bTemp1
    If (bTemp1 = False) Begin
        Get ComLastErrorText Of hoSsh To sTemp1
        Showln sTemp1
        Procedure_Return
    End

    Showln sOutput

    Send ComDisconnect To hoSsh


End_Procedure