Refresh (fill) button in gtkdialog

Question

I have code in bash, with gtkdialog and I need your help. here is code:

 #!/bin/bash
Cell11=`grep -i Cell11 /home/Desktop/grep | cut -d"=" -f2`
Cell12=`grep -i Cell12 /home/Desktop/grep | cut -d"=" -f2`
Cell13=`grep -i Cell13 /home/Desktop/grep | cut -d"=" -f2`
Cell14=`grep -i Cell14 /home/Desktop/grep | cut -d"=" -f2`
export MAIN_DIALOG=' 
 <vbox homogeneous="True">

                           <frame Sector 1>

                                 <hbox>
                                   <text>
                                   <label>Cell1</label>
                                   </text>
                                     <entry activates-default="true">
                                     <variable>Cell11</variable>
                                     <input>echo '$Cell11'</input>
                                     </entry>
                                 </hbox>

                                 <hbox>
                                  <text>
                                   <label>Cell2</label>
                                   </text>
                                     <entry activates-default="true">
                                     <variable>Cell12</variable>
                                     <input>echo '$Cell12'</input>
                                     </entry>
                                 </hbox>

                                 <hbox>
                                    <text>
                                    <label>Cell3</label>
                                    </text>
                                      <entry activates-default="true">
                                        <variable>Cell13</variable>
                                       <input>echo '$Cell13'</input>
                                      </entry>
                                 </hbox>

                                 <hbox>
                                     <text>
                                     <label>Cell4</label>
                                     </text>
                                     <entry activates-default="true">
                                     <variable>Cell14</variable>
                                     <input>echo '$Cell14'</input>
                                     </entry>
                                 </hbox>
                             </frame>
                           </vbox>

gtkdialog --program=MAIN_DIALOG

---

so the code is now creating GUI with 4 vertical boxes which are immediately filled with data. What I want to do is, when GUI start's I need empty boxes, and I would like to add one more button (Refresh or Fill) which will then fill the data.

Answer 1

You can use the refresh:<variable id> action.

 #!/bin/bash

#Cell11="" #`grep -i Cell11 /home/Desktop/grep | cut -d"=" -f2`
#Cell12="" #`grep -i Cell12 /home/Desktop/grep | cut -d"=" -f2`
#Cell13="" #`grep -i Cell13 /home/Desktop/grep | cut -d"=" -f2`
#Cell14="" #`grep -i Cell14 /home/Desktop/grep | cut -d"=" -f2`

# for testing.
function updateFile() {
    for i in {1..4};do echo "Cell1$i=$RANDOM";done > grepFile
}
#this must be done, otherwise the child process cannot call it
export -f updateFile
export MAIN_DIALOG=' 
 <vbox homogeneous="True">
                           <frame Sector 1>

                                 <hbox>
                                   <text>
                                   <label>Cell1</label>
                                   </text>
                                     <entry activates-default="true">
                                     <variable>Cell11</variable>
                                     <input>grep -i Cell11 grepFile | cut -d"=" -f2</input>
                                     </entry>
                                 </hbox>

                                 <hbox>
                                  <text>
                                   <label>Cell2</label>
                                   </text>
                                     <entry activates-default="true">
                                     <variable>Cell12</variable>
                                     <input>grep -i Cell12 grepFile | cut -d"=" -f2</input>
                                     </entry>
                                 </hbox>

                                 <hbox>
                                    <text>
                                    <label>Cell3</label>
                                    </text>
                                      <entry activates-default="true">
                                        <variable>Cell13</variable>
                                        <input>grep -i Cell13 grepFile | cut -d"=" -f2</input>
                                      </entry>
                                 </hbox>

                                 <hbox>
                                     <text>
                                     <label>Cell4</label>
                                     </text>
                                     <entry activates-default="true">
                                     <variable>Cell14</variable>
                                     <input>grep -i Cell14 grepFile | cut -d"=" -f2</input>
                                     </entry>
                                 </hbox>
                                <hbox>
                                    <button>
                                    <label>Refresh</label> 
                                     <action>refresh:Cell11</action>
                                     <action>refresh:Cell12</action>
                                     <action>refresh:Cell13</action>
                                     <action>refresh:Cell14</action>
                                    </button>
                                    <button>
                                    <label>Update file</label> 
                                     <action>$SHELL -c 'updateFile'</action>
                                    </button>
                                </hbox>
                             </frame>
                           </vbox>'

gtkdialog --program=MAIN_DIALOG

---

Additional notes :

1. I've added the $SHELL -c stuff, due to this problem
2. As you can see there is an extra button (Update), so now you have a complete example of modifing the gtkDialog elements on the fly. (It changes the content of the file, easier than editing it manually for testing)

---

Screenshot: