Avoid gnome-terminal close after script execution?

Question

I created a bash script that opens several gnome-terminals, connect to classroom computers via ssh and run a script.

How can I avoid that the gnome-terminal closes after the script is finished? Note that I also want to be able to enter further commands in the terminal.

Here is an example of my code:

gnome-terminal -e "ssh root@<ip> cd /tmp && ls"

Answer 1

As I understand you want gnome-terminal to open, have it execute some commands, and then drop to the prompt so you can enter some more commands. Gnome-terminal is not designed for this use case, but there are workarounds:

Let gnome-terminal run bash and tell bash to run your commands and then run bash

$ gnome-terminal -e "bash -c \"echo foo; echo bar; exec bash\""

The exec bash at the end is necessary because bash -c will terminate once the commands are done. exec causes the running process to be replaced by the new process, otherwise you will have two bash processes running.

Let gnome-terminal run bash with a prepared rcfile which runs your commands

Prepare somercfile:

source ~/.bashrc
echo foo
echo bar

Then run:

$ gnome-terminal -e "bash --rcfile somercfile"

Let gnome-terminal run a script which runs your commands and then drops to bash

Prepare scripttobash:

#!/bin/sh
echo foo
echo bar
exec bash

Set this file as executable.

Then run:

$ gnome-terminal -e "./scripttobash"

Alternatively you can make a genericscripttobash:

#!/bin/sh
for command in "$@"; do
  $command
done
exec bash

Then run:

$ gnome-terminal -e "./genericscripttobash \"echo foo\" \"echo bar\""

---

Every method has it's quirks. You must choose, but choose wisely. I like the first solution for its verbosity and the straightforwardness.

All that said, this might be of good use for you: http://www.linux.com/archive/feature/151340

Answer 2

Finally this one works for me:

gnome-terminal --working-directory=WORK_DIR -x bash -c "COMMAND; bash"

Answer 3

• Stack Overflow answer: the terminal closes when the command run inside it has finished, so you need to write a command that doesn't terminate immediately. For example, to leave the terminal window open until you press Enter in it:

  gnome-terminal -e "ssh host 'cd /tmp && ls'; read line"
  

• Super User answer: Create a profile in which the preference “Title and Command/When command exits” is set to “Hold the terminal open”. Invoke gnome-terminal with the --window-with-profile or --tab-with-profile option to specify the terminal name.

Answer 4

Run with -ic instead -i to make terminal close bash proccess when you close your terminal gui:

gnome-terminal -e "bash -ic \"echo foo; echo bar; exec bash\""

Answer 5

The ideal solution would be to ask for a user input with echo "Press any key".

But if double-click in Nautis or Nemo and select run in a terminal, it doesn't seem to work.

In case of Ubuntu a shell designed for fast start-up and execution with only standard features is used, named dash I believe. Because of this the shebang is the very first line to start with to enable proper use of bash features. Normally this would be: #!/bin/bash or similar. In Ubuntu I learned this should be: #!/usr/bin/env bash.

Many workarounds exist to keep hold of the screen before the interpreter sees a syntax error in a bash command.

The solution in Ubuntu that worked for me:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

your code

echo Press a key...
read -n1

Answer 6

As of January 2020, the -e option in gnome-terminal still runs properly but throws out the following warning:

For -e:

# Option “-e” is deprecated and might be removed in a later version of gnome-terminal.

# Use “-- ” to terminate the options and put the command line to execute after it.

Based on that information above, I confirmed that you can run the following two commands without receiving any warning messages:

$ gnome-terminal -- "./scripttobash"

$ gnome-terminal -- "./genericscripttobash \"echo foo\" \"echo bar\""

I hope this helps anyone else presently having this issue :)

Answer 7

For a solution applicable to any terminal, there is a script that opens a terminal, runs the command specified and gives you back the prompt in that new terminal:

https://stackoverflow.com/a/60732147/1272994

Answer 8

I really like the bash --rcfile method

I just source ~/.bashrc then add the commands I want to the new startrc.sh

now my automated start.sh work environment is complete... for now

Answer 9

If running a bash script just add gedit afile to the end of the script and that will hold gnome-terminal open. "afile" could be a build log which it was in my case.

Did not try just using gedit alone but, that would properly work too.

Answer 10

Use nohup command.

nohup gnome-terminal -e "ssh root@ cd /tmp && ls"

Hope this will help you.