CODEWITHSUNDEEP
iphoneiosbashjailbreak
Rhys
Rhys

Reputation: 27

iOS app to run script

I would appreciate help in creating an iOS app to run a specified script at /var/mobile/script.sh. The script I have written opens a number of specified apps "all at once" on my jailbroken 6.1.2 iphone. Currently I run the script by starting MobileTerminal and manually running the script.sh file from the command line. I would like to be able to create an app that I could start via the Springboard which would run /var/mobile/script.sh directly.

I do not have a Mac and so I am unable to compile an app myself. I also do not have much experience of programming so I would appreciate any help on offer. I have seen an answer which is similar: iOS execute shell script from Activator

The answer provided above is VERY close to what I am looking for. However I have two problems with the Script.app as it stands:

1) As the script I have written opens a number of other apps which takes around two minutes to complete, the Script.app is automatically killed by iOS after about 20 seconds. I'm not sure if a flag "didFinishLaunchingWithOptions" needs to be set to allow Script.app to continue running so it can finish running my script? I have installed a package via Cydia called "Background Manager" - [which as I understand it makes all apps effectively think they are running in the foreground].

2) I have previously tested Script.app listed above on iOS 5 and the Script.app did run for around 20 seconds bringing the apps to the foreground as listed in my script.sh. On iOS 6.1.2 the Script.app runs certain commands in script.sh [e.g. killall commands] but when it comes to opening a specified app via the script it won't open any app [there is a blank black screen for 20 seconds and then the Script app closes without having opened any apps via the script.sh file]. However in iOS 6.1.2 if Script.app is started and immediately the home button is pressed to return you to the Springboard the Script.app will open apps via my script.sh for the first 20 seconds, so there appears to be a difference between the way the Script.app runs on iOS5 vs iOS6. I would like if Script.app could open apps via the script.sh without me having to immediately press the home button after Script.app starts on iOS 6

In my script file I use a command line package called "open" to specific which app to open via its CFBundleIdentifier: http://moreinfo.thebigboss.org/moreinfo/depiction.php?file=openData

Thanks for your help

Upvotes: 2

Views: 19717

Answers (1)

Nate
Nate

Reputation: 31045

Here's a technique that should work for you. It's not necessarily the way I'd solve it, but the solution is designed to work around you not having a Mac / Xcode.

One problem is that iOS expects normal "apps" to startup quickly, and begin responding to normal UI application events. If you use my original script launcher, it does not actually create a UIApplication, but simply calls system() from the main program. Assuming the call to system() completes quickly, there's no problem. But, if your script takes 20 seconds to run, that's too long, and iOS will kill the app.

You could build a normal UI application, calling UIApplicationMain(), and starting your long-running script after the app finishes startup. But really, you're not building an app. You simply want to use a SpringBoard icon to kick off a script. So, I don't think that solution makes a lot of sense.

What you probably want is a non-graphical daemon to run your long script for you. For this, you could build a Launch Daemon, and that might be how I solved the problem. But, without Xcode, that's tough. Another option is to take advantage of the privileged daemon that SBSettings has. You can use it to run your script. Then, your "app" need only fire off a notification to tell SBSettings to run that script. It can then exit, almost immediately.

Here is a pre-built binary that invokes a script named com.mycompany.script (get version 1.1). Install this app on your iPhone (it can be installed normally, in the sandbox area).

Then, you'll need to put your script at (this exact path and filename):

/var/mobile/Library/SBSettings/Commands/com.mycompany.script

For example, its contents might be:

#!/bin/sh
/usr/bin/open com.mycompany.AppOne
/usr/bin/open com.mycompany.AppTwo
/usr/bin/open com.mycompany.AppThree
exit 0;

where you're passing app bundle IDs to open. You can put whatever you want inside it. Make sure to login to your iPhone and set the right permissions on your script:

cd /var/mobile/Library/SBSettings/Commands/
chmod 755 com.mycompany.script 
chown mobile.mobile com.mycompany.script

and then reboot (re-springing might be enough to get SBSettings to recognize your new script).

Note: for those who are coders, the main program of this app basically just contains this code:

#include <notify.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
   notify_post("com.mycompany.script");
   return 0;
}

Upvotes: 3

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