Forrest logo
back to the ${result_variable_name}="$(whiptail tool

whiptail:tldr:1ceae

whiptail: Display a text input box.
$ ${result_variable_name}="$(whiptail --title "${title}" --inputbox "${message}" ${height_in_chars} ${width_in_chars} ${default_text} 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3)"
try on your machine

This command is using the whiptail utility to create an input box dialog on the command line.

Here is a breakdown of the command:

${result_variable_name}: This is the name of the variable that will store the user's input.

"$(whiptail --title "${title}" --inputbox "${message}" ${height_in_chars} ${width_in_chars} ${default_text} 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3)": This portion executes the whiptail command and captures its output. It is enclosed in $() to execute the command and store the output in the variable. The whiptail command is responsible for creating the input box dialog. The values within the quotes are as follows:

  • --title "${title}": Sets the title of the dialog to the value stored in the variable title.
  • --inputbox "${message}": Sets the message displayed in the input box to the value stored in the variable message.
  • ${height_in_chars}: Specifies the height of the input box in characters.
  • ${width_in_chars}: Specifies the width of the input box in characters.
  • ${default_text}: Sets the default text value displayed in the input box.

The 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3 portion swaps the file descriptors to redirect standard output (STDOUT) to file descriptor 3, standard error (STDERR) to STDOUT, and file descriptor 3 back to standard error. This allows the output of the whiptail command (which is the user's input) to be captured and stored in the variable ${result_variable_name}.

This explanation was created by an AI. In most cases those are correct. But please always be careful and never run a command you are not sure if it is safe.
back to the ${result_variable_name}="$(whiptail tool