[ZendTo] Major new feature (please test!) — Automated ZendTo

[Jules Field]

Folks,

I have finally implemented automatic command-line generation of
     1. A new drop-off
     2. A request for a drop-off

This is included in the latest beta release, 5.18-3. See the beta page at
     https://zend.to/beta.php
and the Changelog at
     https://zend.to/changelog.php
for more information.

The 2 scripts that do it are in
     /opt/zendto/bin/autodropoff
     /opt/zendto/bin/autorequest

To find out how to drive them,
     1. See the comments above the new 'automationUsers' settings in 
preferences.php, and
     2. Run each of the scripts without any command-line parameters.

Basically you give them everything they need to know via command-line 
options.

They then construct and either print or run (depending on the presence 
of "--debug") a big "curl" command.

The results from the ZendTo server are a JSON data structure, which is 
hopefully the easiest thing for most of you to handle automatically.

So please do test them out.

Do they work?
Do they do what you need / want?
Is there enough detail in the data structure returned?

I know you folks have been waiting very patiently for this for a very 
long time. Sorry it's taken me quite so long to figure out a relatively 
easy way of doing it.

If you need to automate it from a platform that can't run bash, just 
take a look at the scripts. Almost all of both of them is parsing 
command-line parameters and error-detection. If you look at the "curl" 
command they generate, and read the "curl" documentation, you will see 
it is *actually* very simple.

Anyway, have a go and let me know how you get on!

Enjoy your weekend...

Jules

-- 
Julian Field MEng CEng CITP MBCS MIEEE MACM

'We face neither East nor West: we face forward.' - Kwame Nkrumah

www.Zend.To
Twitter: @JulesFM