42_cursus_Pipex

Summary

• Installation
• Features
• Code Overview
• Feedback
• Thanks

Usage

To use the Pipex program, run the following command:

./pipex file1 cmd1 cmd2 file2

Example:

./pipex infile "ls -l" "wc -l" outfile

This command is equivalent to the shell command:

< infile ls -l | wc -l > outfile

Features

• Handles pipes and redirects the input and output of commands.
• Mimics the behavior of the following shell command:

  < file1 cmd1 | cmd2 > file2

• Supports various Unix system calls such as open, close, read, write, malloc, free, perror, strerror, access, dup, dup2, execve, exit, fork, pipe, unlink, wait, and waitpid.
• Bonus features:
  • Handles multiple pipes.
  • Handles the "here_doc" functionality.

Code Overview

The project is organized into several source files, each handling different aspects of the program:

• pipex.c: Contains the main function and program entry point.
• handle_process.c: Manages the creation and execution of child processes.
• handle_path.c: Handles path resolution for executable commands.
• pipex_bonus.c: Contains additional functionality for handling multiple pipes and "here_doc".
• bonus_utils.c: Utility functions for bonus features.
• bonus_handle_process.c: Manages processes for the bonus part of the project.
• bonus_handle_path.c: Handles path resolution for bonus features.
• bonus_handle_here_doc.c: Manages the "here_doc" functionality.

Feedback

The Pipex project is not a significant technical challenge. The real challenge lies in understanding the use and functioning of pipes in a shell and in a C program. It is often recommended to complete Pipex before tackling Minishell, as the latter also uses this concept. I would make the same suggestion.

Implementing Pipex and its bonuses is generally not very difficult. The most time-consuming part is understanding and mastering the use of processes in a C program. Once you grasp this logic, the rest of the project becomes relatively straightforward to implement.

Thanks

To Jeguerin (JayZ66): who greatly helped me understand the functionality and utility of pipes. Having already completed this project, she allowed me to build on hers and explained its workings so that I could develop my own.