expect

1. Expect is a command line tool and scripting language used for automating interactive applications on UNIX systems.
2. It was created by Don Libes in the 1990s as an extension to the Tcl scripting language.
3. Expect provides a way to automate tasks that require input from the user, such as password prompts, confirmation dialogs, and menu selections.
4. It can be used to script interactions with various applications, including Telnet, SSH, FTP, and more.
5. Expect works by spawning child processes and controlling their input and output.
6. It allows the user to define patterns to match expected output from the application and execute corresponding actions based on those patterns.
7. With the help of Expect, complex tasks that involve multiple interactive steps can be automated.
8. Expect scripts can be written in Tcl, but there are also versions available for other programming languages, such as Python and Perl.
9. It provides powerful features such as variable assignment, flow control statements, and error handling, making it a flexible tool for scripting interactive tasks.
10. Expect is widely used in the field of network automation, system administration, and software testing to automate repetitive and interactive tasks.