I hate to sound like a Newbie but I can’t crack this.
I use a CLI tool called GAM to manage my Google Workspace domains and I’d like to build Shortcuts to run on my Mac that will collect some options, build a command and then run it in a Terminal window. However, I can’t figure out how to make this happen.
Can someone help this newbie out?
Without knowing exactly what it is you are trying to do and what exactly it is you are having trouble with, it is going to make it tough to give specifc advice.
For example if your issue was working with the Terminal app, maybe use of a shell script action might be an option?
If your issue is building the command, the documentation and what it is you want the commend to do would be necessary.
Yes, of course that makes sense. 
What I want to do is:
I don’t have an issue with #1, only with #2: I can’t figure out how to actually output text to the Terminal command prompt.
For example, using GAM, I would use the following command to create a user:
gam create user ckent@domain.org firstname Clark lastname Kent password S0n0fKrypt0n
So my shortcut would collect the username, first name, last name and password values… then outputs the command to the Terminal command line.
Is that clearer?
If #2 is all you have trouble with, then look at the shell script action rather than how to interact with the terminal app.
The terminal app is running an interactive shell where you could provide input, whereas the shell action in Shortcuts will run a non-interactive shell, executing a sequence of one or more preset commands. Since you are doing all the interaction in Shortcuts and just need the command executed, that should be just fine for your needs.
In case it helps I recently learned how to “inject” Shortcuts text into a terminal command, just right click on the text and add it from the list of variables
(you’d want to sanitize the data and surround the variable with quotes of course)
I know this is some time on from the original request, but I’d like to run the caffeinate command in Terminal via an Apple Shortcut. This appears to need the actual Terminal window open to work (ie cannot run in a non-interactive shell). I just can’t figure out how to pass the text into the Terminal window. Any thoughts?
I also need Caffeinate for from time to time.
You don’t need to run Caffeinate in an open Terminal window, it can run in the background. I made a Shortcut for this. If I run it the fist time it starts Caffeinate and if I run it a second time it kills it.
But if you want a Terminal window to be opened with Shortcuts, you can make the following Shortcut:
on run {input, parameters}
tell application "Terminal"
if not (exists window 1) then reopen
activate
do script "/usr/bin/caffeinate" in window 1
end tell
end run
As you can see it does that with help of some AppleScript.
Thanks so much, that’s really helpful!
I was able to create a .txt file mostly as you say (no need to enter quotes for just creating it in the default folder - mine the user folder). But I can’t manage to make it creating it in the current folder. I’ll probably don’t know how to pass the path variable:
Any idea how it can be done?
You need to remove the space after $current_directory because as it is you’re accidentally asking it to touch two files ($current_directory on the one hand and $s_filename on the other).
On top of that, it seems that s_filename contains “.txt” at the time of running, which isn’t a good sign. I don’t entirely understand why only “.txt” stays here since it should contain “new_without_quoted.txt”.
Finally, you can remove s_filename as input, it’s not necessary.
What output do you get then ?
Hi @sebastienkb ,
executing it after removing the space and removing s_filename as input, ends in another “Read-only file system” error:
Here’s the complete shortcut as it is right now:
The first part (Receive images and…) was added while making the shortcut to be available as a Quick Action in Finder…
Always best to share the actual shortcut rather than a screenshot. Sometimes it helps with hidden attributes. Sometimes it just saves people having to reproduce everything character by character.
There looks to be a mix of inputs, an overly broad range of shortcuts inputs, direct access and something wrong with the working directory (which is then output in the error - you’ll note it is a temporary folder not the input location).
The issue with the directory is a mistake in the first line of your script. The following shortcut illustrates this, including how Shortcuts is interpreting the result … leading to the temporary folder use.
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/36bfcf57fc804f2fabbff203015786f7
Based on what I think you are trying to accomplish (it isn’t 100% clear to me as to the underlying ask, I’ve created the shortcut below.
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/ce45e1359f6f42d5b2e30058fee77430
If that does not suit your purposes then I would recommend you start a new topic (you can link back to this one), set out your scenario, and anywhere you having trouble.
Hope that helps.
Thanks @sylumer
I’ve tried yours and I didn’t get an error, but I only get a window where I can select a file, but nothing is done with it (that I noticed). My intention is to create a shortcut that creates a new file inside the folder I’m currently in.
But I’ll open a new thread later about it with a link to this one and with the actual shortcut as you proposed (wasn’t aware of that they could be shared -easily).
Best
It is set as a quick action like yours. Try triggering it from a file or folder in Finder. The script should take the directory of what is passed in, and use that to create th new file alongside it in the same folder.
Hi sylumer. This wasn’t working for some reason, but I appreciate a lot your help: i almost accidentally found out a way to do it that worked for me both in Shortcuts and Automator, so I’m sharing it here. This opens a new file in the currently opened directory in Finder (no need to go to parent folder and select the folder):
Wait, isn’t there a way to share these files in this forum? It says it only accepts .png and a few other very standard files, so I cannot share the .workflow (from automator) and it seems one cannot access a Shortcuts file directly, so I’m sharing an iCloud link:
shortcut to create .txt file in current finder window
You’ll need to drag the shortcut to Quick Actions
Then you can use it from Finder / Services / Name of the shortcut when you are in a Finder window.
For Automator you open it and create a Quick Action with this settings:
-e on each line like in the pic).
It was working to my understanding of the requirements, so it would be useful to find out what it was not doing for you, or if it wasn’t doing anything at all, exactly how you used it. I have a dislike for loose ends.
iCloud links are the standard way to share shortcuts.
Automator workflows you have to host externally (typically Zip’d as they are a package of files to many hosting services) and then share a link to them on the forum.
I didn’t remember, so I’ve reinstalled and replicate it again and… it does work if you select a file. The problem I guess it was that I was trying to select a folder, as that’s what I was aiming for -creating a .txt in a folder. And I was doing it from Services.
When you selected a file it does work though (video), yet, sometimes you don’t have a file and I was trying to just select a folder (video). I’ve seen now that you could select the file folder and then select the Services / shortcut and that windows doesn’t show up, but I didn’t see it at the time. I’d probably have used it like that, but in case it is useful for anyone, the version I posted doesn’t require to select anything which was totally adapted to what I was looking for. The code in the shortcut you posted is shorter and easier to understand though. Anyway, I learnt a lot from you, and wouldn’t have been able to do it without your help. Many thanks!
Related to the topic for others struggeling to run code in Siri Shortcuts and Automator:
I am using anaconda so this is what I paste into Automator, then I replace print with my code and it works!
/Users/HOMEFOLDER/anaconda3/bin/python <<EOF import sys
print(“RUN any ANACONA SCRIPT HERE!”)
EOF
Siri Shortcuts can be combined with shortery for full automation