ftp script in expect

[Chris Janicki]

Maybe you have to "expect" each line of feedback as the files are 
downloaded... in some sort of loop, waiting for the "ftp>" to return?  

IMHO, Expect sucks... I was forced to write an app with it once, and the 
stupid thing would fail after hours/days of perfect operation.  It an 
unreliable hack in my experience.  Plus, that "monkey on the cover" 
O'reilly book is a disorganized jumble.  I'd rather program my own FTP 
client from scratch rather than use Expect again.  (Do I sound bitter? 
;-)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Original Message <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

On 9/19/01, 6:31:53 PM, Scott Lanning <slanning at buphy.bu.edu> wrote 
regarding Re: ftp script in expect:


> On Wed, 19 Sep 2001, Ron Peterson wrote:
> >What with the constant barrage of new and improved virii, I thought I'd
> >make it easier to help my Windows friends.  So I wrote this little 
expect
> >script.  Problem is, it stops downloading and quits after one file.
> >
> >(?)
> >
> >spawn ftp ftp.nai.com
> >expect "Name*:"
> >send "anonymous\r"
> >expect "Password:"
> >send "devnull at pagoda.mtholyoke.edu\r"
> >expect "ftp>"
> >send "cd pub/antivirus/datfiles/4.x\r"
> >expect "ftp>"
> >send "bin\r"
> >expect "ftp>"
> >send "prompt\r"
> >expect "ftp>"
> >send "mget *\r"
> >expect "ftp>"
> >send "quit"

> Whenever I do mget, it prompts for each file, like:

> ftp> mget *.txt
> mget foo.txt?

> and then you have to hit Enter each time.

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