Re: [Qemu-devel] feature idea: allow user to run custom scripts

[Programmingkid <programmingkidx@gmail.com>]

On Sep 28, 2015, at 3:29 AM, Markus Armbruster wrote:

> Programmingkid <programmingkidx@gmail.com> writes:
> 
>> On Sep 27, 2015, at 10:30 PM, Michael Roth wrote:
>> 
>>> Quoting Programmingkid (2015-09-27 20:49:24)
>>>> 
>>>> On Sep 27, 2015, at 2:53 PM, Peter Crosthwaite wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> On Sun, Sep 27, 2015 at 3:13 AM, Peter Maydell
>>>>> <peter.maydell@linaro.org> wrote:
>>>>>> On 27 September 2015 at 04:39, Programmingkid
>>>>>> <programmingkidx@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> Would you be open to a feature that allows the user to select
>>>>>>> and run a custom file that has commands in it that would run
>>>>>>> in the monitor?
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Sounds like a VM management layer feature.
>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Should -monitor file:/foo/bar do something like this?
>>>> 
>>>> If you are saying this command line argument loads monitor commands,
>>>> then it would only work when QEMU is first started. The feature I want
>>>> would work anytime during the running of QEMU. 
>>> 
>>> For that sort of flexibility I think writing commands to a socket via
>>> a script/program is simple enough that an additional interface doesn't
>>> seem worthwhile. Even our qtest unit tests use this approach. Plus you
>>> get the flexibility of a being able to branch based on the return
>>> value of commands (error-handling, stateful commands, incorporating
>>> output from a serial console, etc.). It seems like a nice feature but
>>> it's vastly inferior to what's possible with an external driver.
>> 
>> How many people know how to communicate with QEMU via a socket?
>> How do you even do it? It doesn't sound very easy to do.
> 
> It's easy, as QEMU command line goes:
> 
>    -qmp unix:test-hmp,server,nowait
> 
> This is syntactic sugar for something like
> 
>    -chardev socket,id=compat_monitor1,path=sock-qmp,server=on,wait=off
>    -mon mode=control,chardev=compat_monitor1
> 
> The long form is more flexible.  If you use it, don't use
> id=compat_monitor1, obviously.
> 
> Easier on the eyes as configuration file for -readconfig:
> 
>    [chardev "qmp"]
>      backend = "socket"
>      path = "sock-qmp"
>      server = "on"
>      wait = "off"
> 
>    [mon "qmp"]
>      mode = "control"
>      chardev = "qmp"
> 
>>                                                         A menu item
>> that displays a file open dialog is very easy to use. The user just selects
>> a file and QEMU loads and runs all the commands in it. This feature
>> would make QEMU easier to use. It would also make QEMU easily
>> expandable. Typing long commands in the monitor is difficult and
>> error prone. Saving these commands in a file would make it much
>> easier for the user. An example command someone could put in a
>> file is sending Control-Alt-Delete to the emulator. Another command
>> could be mounting an image file. This feature would make things
>> much easier for the user.
> 
> You didn't mention you're talking about a *GUI* feature.

I'm thinking it would be easier to send in the patch rather than talk about 
what this feature could be.