dired command on marked files

dired command on marked files

[Fabian Braennstroem]

Hi,

    I would like to use dired to create some plots using
    xmgrace/gracebat. My idea is to mark some files and plot
    them all into one diagram using something like:

    gracebat <file1> <file2> ... <file n> -pexec 'subtitle "<title>"'  -hardcopy -hdevice EPS -printfile "<name>"
 
   Generally, I would use 'call-process' , but I have no clue, how I can create a call with variable number of files (depending on the marks).
   In the end, emacs should ask for the 'title' and 'name'.
 
   Does anyone have an idea or any suggestion, how I should do that?
   Thanks!

Greetings!
 Fabian

Re: dired command on marked files

[Joel J. Adamson]

Fabian Braennstroem <f.braennstroem@gmx.de> writes:

> Hi,
>
>     I would like to use dired to create some plots using
>     xmgrace/gracebat. My idea is to mark some files and plot
>     them all into one diagram using something like:
>
>     gracebat <file1> <file2> ... <file n> -pexec 'subtitle "<title>"'  -hardcopy -hdevice EPS -printfile "<name>"
>  
>    Generally, I would use 'call-process' , but I have no clue, how I can create a call with variable number of files (depending on the marks).
>    In the end, emacs should ask for the 'title' and 'name'.

Are you talking about a program, or interactively?  Interactively, I
would use a shell for loop.

Joel

-- 
Joel J. Adamson
(303) 880-3109
Public key: http://pgp.mit.edu
http://www.unc.edu/~adamsonj
http://trashbird1240.blogspot.com

Re: dired command on marked files

[Fabian Braennstroem]

* Joel J. Adamson <adamsonj@email.unc.edu> wrote:
> Fabian Braennstroem <f.braennstroem@gmx.de> writes:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>>     I would like to use dired to create some plots using
>>     xmgrace/gracebat. My idea is to mark some files and plot
>>     them all into one diagram using something like:
>>
>>     gracebat <file1> <file2> ... <file n> -pexec 'subtitle "<title>"'  -hardcopy -hdevice EPS -printfile "<name>"
>>  
>>    Generally, I would use 'call-process' , but I have no clue, how I can create a call with variable number of files (depending on the marks).
>>    In the end, emacs should ask for the 'title' and 'name'.
>
> Are you talking about a program, or interactively?  Interactively, I
> would use a shell for loop.

This first part of my problem was easier than I thought:

(defun grace()
    "Create Plot using grace"
    (interactive)
       (call-process-shell-command (concat (dired-shell-stuff-it "xterm -e 'xmgrace " (dired-get-marked-files) nil) " '&")) 
)

This would plot all marked files ... now I take a look at the <title> and <name>.


Greetings!
 Fabian

Re: dired command on marked files

[Rupert Swarbrick]

Fabian Braennstroem <f.braennstroem@gmx.de> writes:

> This first part of my problem was easier than I thought:
>
> (defun grace()
>     "Create Plot using grace"
>     (interactive)
>        (call-process-shell-command (concat (dired-shell-stuff-it "xterm -e 'xmgrace " (dired-get-marked-files) nil) " '&")) 
> )
>

This is of course irrelevant, but you might be interested to note that
one normally formats lisp code more like the following:

(defun grace ()
  "Create Plot using grace"
  (interactive)
  (call-process-shell-command
   (concat (dired-shell-stuff-it "xterm -e 'xmgrace "
                                 (dired-get-marked-files) nil)
           " '&")) )

(although the last line's a bit icky). In particular, when in
emacs-lisp-mode, you'll find that TAB indents the line to the "right
place".

Also note that the lambda list (which in the above is just "()")
doesn't have to be connected to the function/macro symbol ("grace") -
and the normal idiom is to put it as above. This is particularly
relevant if you've got a long lambda list:

(defun my-func
  (has a very &optional long lambda list here indeed)
  (+ 1 2))

(my-func 0 0 0)
=> 3


Hope this is of some interest,

Rupert

Re: dired command on marked files

[Fabian Braennstroem]

Hi Rupert,

   thanks.

* Rupert Swarbrick <rswarbrick@gmail.com> wrote:
> Fabian Braennstroem <f.braennstroem@gmx.de> writes:
>
>> This first part of my problem was easier than I thought:
>>
>> (defun grace()
>>     "Create Plot using grace"
>>     (interactive)
>>        (call-process-shell-command (concat (dired-shell-stuff-it "xterm -e 'xmgrace " (dired-get-marked-files) nil) " '&")) 
>> )
>>
>
> This is of course irrelevant, but you might be interested to note that
> one normally formats lisp code more like the following:
>
> (defun grace ()
>   "Create Plot using grace"
>   (interactive)
>   (call-process-shell-command
>    (concat (dired-shell-stuff-it "xterm -e 'xmgrace "
>                                  (dired-get-marked-files) nil)
>            " '&")) )
>
> (although the last line's a bit icky). In particular, when in
> emacs-lisp-mode, you'll find that TAB indents the line to the "right
> place".
>
> Also note that the lambda list (which in the above is just "()")
> doesn't have to be connected to the function/macro symbol ("grace") -
> and the normal idiom is to put it as above. This is particularly
> relevant if you've got a long lambda list:
>
> (defun my-func
>   (has a very &optional long lambda list here indeed)
>   (+ 1 2))
>
> (my-func 0 0 0)
> => 3
>
>
> Hope this is of some interest,
>
> Rupert

Greetings!
 Fabian

Re: dired command on marked files

[Kevin Rodgers]

Fabian Braennstroem wrote:
>    In the end, emacs should ask for the 'title' and 'name'.

(defun gracebat (title name)
   (interactive "sTitle: \nsName: ")
   ...
   )

-- 
Kevin Rodgers
Denver, Colorado, USA

Re: dired command on marked files

[Fabian Braennstroem]

Hi Kevin,

* Kevin Rodgers <kevin.d.rodgers@gmail.com> wrote:
> Fabian Braennstroem wrote:
>>    In the end, emacs should ask for the 'title' and 'name'.
>
> (defun gracebat (title name)
>    (interactive "sTitle: \nsName: ")
>    ...
>   )

Thanks for the hint! I tried to incorporate it, but without
success. I think all those marks make a problem:


(defun grace( title1 name)
    "Create Plot using grace"
    (interactive "sTitle: \nsName: ")
       (call-process-shell-command (concat (dired-shell-stuff-it "xmgrace " (dired-get-marked-files) nil)  " -pexec 'title "" (title1) ""' &")) 
       )

Greetings!
 Fabian