Send a command throught a pipe and retrieve the content of the pipe (response)

Configuration
1

Hi, I use a pipe to control my unraid server from home assistant (docker)
I use the pipe for example to manage virtual machines:

- platform: command_line
    switches:
      vm:
        friendly_name: VM
        command_on: echo 'virsh start "Windows 10"' > /config/pipe
        command_off: echo 'virsh shutdown "Windows 10"' > /config/pipe

Now I need to make a binary sensor to see the status of a docker with this command:

echo 'docker inspect -f "{{.State.Status}}" db4100c3-9b8c-407d-ba31-088bad630b20' > /config/pipe

If I do cat pipe it tells me running or exited, and I want retrive this response and put it in the binary sensor, how can I do this?
I tried with this but nothing:

binary_sensor:
  - platform: command_line
    name: Server
    command: 'echo 'docker inspect -f "{{.State.Status}}" db4100c3-9b8c-407d-ba31-088bad630b20' > /config/pipe'
    device_class: connectivity
    payload_on: "running"
    payload_off: "exited"
    scan_interval: 10
2

I can see a number of issues here -
the first is that your single quotes:

'echo 'docker inspect

Would need to be escaped to prevent parsing errors:

'echo \'docker inspect

The next issue is here:

-f "{{.State.Status}}"

Because it’s in double curly braces, Hoe Assistant will attempt to treat that as a Jinja template, so this should also be escaped:

-f "\{\{.State.Status\}\}"

otherwise Jinja complains about a syntax error.
So I would try something like:

    command: 'echo \'docker inspect -f "\{\{.State.Status\}\}" db4100c3-9b8c-407d-ba31-088bad630b20\' > /config/pipe'
3

Thanks for the fixes, the big problem now is retriving the content of the pipe and use it for the sensor

4

Run the command outside of home assistant, and post the full output. I believe docker inspect returns JSON, so we should just be able to use value_template to extract what we need out of the JSON, so the payloads match.

EDIT:
Revisiting this - it looks the escaping is more complicated:

    command: 'echo "docker inspect -f \"{{ '''{{''' }}.State.Status{{ '''}}''' }}\" db4100c3-9b8c-407d-ba31-088bad630b20" > /config/pipe'

try that.

5

When I do docker inspect it tells me running or exited, I dunno if it is a json
I have difficulty in creating the sensor that can send the command and take the contents of the pipe, if you could help me I would be grateful

6

Can you explain why the echo or the pipe is necessary at all?

    command: 'docker inspect -f "{{ '''{{''' }}.State.Status{{ '''}}''' }}" db4100c3-9b8c-407d-ba31-088bad630b20'

should be all that is necessary.

7

because hassio runs on a docker, I need the pipe to “talk” with the os, like getting temps, disks utilization, managing vm and docker and so on

8

Well, instead of trying to fit all the command in the command_line config. Why not have the entire command in a shell file, and then simply call the shell file.

9

I was thinking about this, but it isn’t easy ahah, I’ll look forward for this

10 
command: 'docker inspect -f "{{ '''{{''' }}.State.Status{{ '''}}''' }}" db4100c3-9b8c-407d-ba31-088bad630b20' && cat /config/pipe
11

or just use raw

command: 'docker inspect -f "{% raw %}{.State.Status}{% endraw %}" db4100c3-9b8c-407d-ba31-088bad630b20' && cat /config/pipe
12

But this will send the command throught the pipe? and then get the results?

13

It executes both commands, one after the other.

14

doesn’t work, I can’t do docker inspect directly from the the docker (ha), i need to send it to the pipe and then read the pipe to get the result
I tried this but the sensor remain unknown

command: echo 'docker inspect -f "{% raw %}{.State.Status}{% endraw %}" db4100c3-9b8c-407d-ba31-088bad630b20' > /config/pipe && cat /config/pipe

This is the other part of the pipe:

while true; do eval "$(cat /mnt/user/appdata/homeassistant/pipe)"; done

I need to get the result back to hassio

15

Did you try my suggestion?

16

Yes, it doesn’t work because I can’t call docker from inside a docker

17

Ummmm I don’t think that is correct.

18

Since the response comes from outside home assistant, why don’t you do it the other way?
Use either MQTT or a binary_sensor template using a webhook as a trigger.

Run the docker inspect command directly outside home assistant, and then send the result TO home assistant either other MQTT or the webhook.