How to get more than 80 characters out of PS

rzs96 has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Hey Monks, I am trying to write a script that scans UNIX processes (that gather log data). When all the processes are done, then we compile the data and generate a report. The challenge is that PS only allows up to 80 characters. I am trying to add a unique ID to the filename. Is there a way to extract more than 80 characters out of PS. Cheers! Robert PS. Here's the code I am using to check to see whether the processes have finished or not....

#__________________________________________________________________
#
#  logmining'check:  Check to see if the logs are still processing.   
+       
#__________________________________________________________________
sub logmining'check
{
    my ($pid) = @_;
    print STDERR "CHECK: ps -ef | grep $pid.log\n\n";
    #&logmining'finish ();
    my $ps_check = `ps -ef | grep $pid.log`;
    while ($ps_check =~ m|gunzip|)
    {
        sleep (60);
        $ps_check = `ps -ef | grep $pid.log`;
        if ($ps_check !~ m|gunzip|)
         {
             $ps_check = '';     
              &logmining'finish ();    
              last;    
         }
    }    
}
[download]

Comment on How to get more than 80 characters out of PS Download Code

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Re: How to get more than 80 characters out of PS by Nkuvu (Priest) on Jun 28, 2005 at 20:37 UTC
Well this is a Unix question instead of a Perl question. But depending on your flavor of Unix, you may be able to do something like my $ps_check = `ps -efww \| grep $pid.log`; From the manpage for ps on my system (OS X 10.4.1): `-w Use 132 columns to display information, instead of the default which is your window size. If the -w option is specified more than once, ps will use as many columns as necessary without regard for your window size.` [download]	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: How to get more than 80 characters out of PS by tlm (Prior) on Jun 28, 2005 at 20:38 UTC
`ps` is one of the most variable of Unix commands. I doubt that what would work in my system would work in yours. For one thing, mine does not seem to have the 80-char limitation that you describe. Be that as it may, you could try setting the `COLUMNS` environment variable in your shell line, e.g.: $ps_check = `COLUMNS=300 ps -ef \| grep $pid.log`; [download] (Untested.) I agree with Nkuvu that this is much more of a Unix question than a Perl question; I think you'll likely get better advice if you asked this question in a forum devoted to your flavor of Unix. the lowliest monk	[reply] [d/l]
[OT] Re: How to get more than 80 characters out of PS by cmeyer (Pilgrim) on Jun 28, 2005 at 21:29 UTC
Interesting, do you usually use the single tick in place of `::`? The only place that I've come across it in common use is Test::More's `isn't()` function (which of course has little to do with the isn:: namespace). Just curious ... -Colin. WHITEPAGES.COM \| INC	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: [OT] Re: How to get more than 80 characters out of PS by tlm (Prior) on Jun 29, 2005 at 03:21 UTC
There's also the D'oh module. the lowliest monk	[reply]
Re: [OT] Re: How to get more than 80 characters out of PS by merlyn (Sage) on Jun 29, 2005 at 09:44 UTC
Could be someone who learned in the pre perl5 days, or has only read perl4-style documents. -- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker Be sure to read my standard disclaimer if this is a reply.	[reply]
Re: How to get more than 80 characters out of PS by crashtest (Curate) on Jun 29, 2005 at 03:11 UTC
Hi rzs96, at work, our Sun boxes have an alternate version of `ps` installed under `/usr/ucb`. This is, I assume, the "UC Berkeley" version which supports the "double-wide" `-ww` switch Nkuvu refers to. When I need more than 80 characters, I run: `/usr/ucb/ps -axwwl` [download] ... which gives me all the detail I need. Maybe you can check whether your installation has a similar setup. Hope this helps!	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: How to get more than 80 characters out of PS by fmerges (Chaplain) on Jun 28, 2005 at 21:03 UTC
Hi, You could use a do{}while instead, and code it all in a more perlish way, but that a style/efficiency thing, the important thing I see here, is that you shouldn't use things like this: `ps -ef \| grep $pid.log`; because this is unsafe. Allways use absolute path for your external commands. Take a look at: http://www.mclibrary.edu.mn/itbooks/CD2/howto/Secure-Programs-HOWTO/index.html perlsec Regards, :-)	[reply] [d/l]
Re: How to get more than 80 characters out of PS by anonymized user 468275 (Curate) on Jun 29, 2005 at 09:03 UTC
Why not access the unix process table directly from perl using Proc::ProcessTable? One world, one people	[reply]