Shell script won't run cd command

Question

I have a text-based game, Colossal Cave Adventure, that I would like to launch with a shell script instead of opening the terminal and typing cd ~/Desktop/CCA and ./Adventure. The code I am trying to use is this:

#! /bin/bash
gnome-terminal -e 'cd ~/Desktop/CCA/; ./Adventure'

and the message i receive is this:

There was an error creating the child process for this terminal
Failed to execute child process `cd` (No such file or directory)

with options to change profile preferences or relaunch the process. I have also tried using the absolute path instead of ~/, and all of my file names are correctly spelled and point to the right place. What is wrong?

Farvardin · Accepted Answer · 2017-11-13T11:29:10.293

18

cd is a shell builtin. you should use this:

#! /bin/bash
gnome-terminal --working-directory=/home/username/Desktop/CCA/ -e './Adventure'

edited Nov 13 '17 at 11:29

answered May 28 '14 at 06:10

Farvardin

584

Thank you, I was not aware that cd wasn't a command. – Giaphage47 May 28 '14 at 06:14
1

cd certainly is a command! It's what is known as a shell builtin command, as Hastur's answer correctly states. Shell builtin commands are often called "shell builtins" or "builtins" for short, but they are absolutely commands. What cd is not is an external command. Ubuntu has no cd program (and if it did, running it still wouldn't have the effect of changing the directory in the shell from which you ran it). @Giaphage47 – Eliah Kagan Oct 12 '17 at 08:07

score 12 · Answer 2 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:24

The error

Failed to execute child process "cd" (No such file or directory)

arises because cd is one of the SHELL BUILTIN COMMANDS and not an executable that you physically find on your Hard Disk.

To run it or the others built-in commands in you script you need to pass all the line to a bash invocation

 gnome-terminal -e '/bin/bash -c "cd ~/Desktop/CCA/; ./Adventure" '

If there are no other internal command that you have to execute you can set the working directory for the gnome terminal, as just answered here:

gnome-terminal --working-directory=/home/username/Desktop/CCA/ -e './Adventure'

Ad nauseam: there are some alternatives:

If you are just in a terminal you can either do

an alias like
alias Star_My_Game="cd ~/Desktop/CCA; ./Adventure "
and put it in your .bashrc or in ~/.bash_aliases so that you will be able to run with the single command Start_My_Game in each shell you will be (It's more cosy to choose a simpler/short name than Start_My_Game...)
or a script that you can make executable (chmod u+x MYscript) and put in your path (tipically ~/bin is a good candidate).

I suppose you can put a link on your desktop that execute the terminal and modify the starting behaviour. From gnome help

Select Edit ▸ Profile Preferences ▸ Title and Command.
Check Run a custom command instead of my shell.
In the text box, type the command or the desired shell.
The command will be passed to the terminal exactly as you write it, including any arguments that you specify. Environment variables will be inherited from the terminal as it is a child process of the terminal.

Open a new Terminal tab or window to see how the custom shell or command executes

But the point was to launch from a shell script, and not have to open a terminal window. — Giaphage47, May 28 '14 at 06:16
If you want to launch from a script is enough an alias (more cosy) or a script in your ~/bin directory, without to launch a new terminal — Hastur, May 28 '14 at 06:19
Answer updated just in case you need again: it's possible to pass cd but you need to pass it to bash. Give it a check :) – — Hastur, May 28 '14 at 07:45

Shell script won't run cd command

2 Answers2