readme.md

Unity Terminal

UnityTerminal is a tool that allows you to start standard or administrator instance of Command Prompt and/or the Powershell within Unity Editor.
You can also create and add your own System Diagnostic Processes to a CustomProcesses script that can be executed within the editor via the Menubar.

Main Scripts

Process Utilities Script

This is a simple script that currently has 2 static methods.

StartProcess(string filename, bool runAsAdmin = false);
StartAdvProcess(string filename, string argument, bool hideWindow = false, bool runAsAdmin = false)

StartProcess - allows you to start any process without arguments as a standard user or administrator.
StartAdvProcess - allows you start any process with arguments as a standard user or administrator with additional options to hide the console window.

Windows Command Prompt Script

The Windows Command Prompt Script contains methods that allow you to open a Command Prompt (CMD) or Powershell window from within Unity.

To open a Command Prompt window you can navigate to "System/Command Prompt" and select one of the CMD instances you wish to open.
Alternatively you can open a CMD instance with the "ctrl+shift+l" (standard instance) or "ctrl+alt+l" (admin instance) keyboard shortcuts.

To open a Powershell window you can navigate to "System/Powershell" and select on of the Powershell instances you wish to open.
Alternatively you can open a Powershell instance with the "ctrl+shift+h" (standard instance) or "ctrl+alt+h" (admin instance) keyboard shortcuts.

Custom Processes Script

To create your own Custom Processes, create a Custom Processes Script where you code your own custom Processes.
Your custom processes can be used with the unity [MenuItem] attribute to allow the method to be called from within the Unity Editor via the Menubar or Inspector.

To create a process in your Custom Process Script you need to do the following:

• Use one of the predefined methods (StartProcess or StartAdvProcess) in the ProcessUtilities class, or
• Code your own custom Process using System.Diagnostic namespace

Examples

Here are a few examples of creating your own custom processes.

1. Simple Process using StartProcess Method in ProcessUtilities Script

// Starting a simple Notepad Process
public static async Task Notepad()
{
    await Task.Run(() => ProcessUtilities.StartProcess("notepad.exe"));
}

2. Advanced Process using StartAdvProcess Method in ProcessUtilities Script

// Starting an Advanced Process
public static async Task Echo()
{
    await Task.Run(() => 
    ProcessUtilities.StartAdvProcess("cmd.exe", "/k echo hello, world"));
}

3. Coding your Custom Process Method

// Creating your own Custom Advanced Process
public static async Task CustomProcess()
{
    await Task.Run(() => 
    {
        using Process process = new Process();
        process.StartInfo.FileName = "cmd.exe";
        process.StartInfo.RedirectStandardInput = true;
        process.StartInfo.RedirectStandardOutput = true;
        process.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;
        process.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
        process.StartInfo.Arguments = @"/k echo hello world";
        process.Start();
                
        process.StandardInput.WriteLine("echo hello");
        process.StandardInput.Flush();
        process.StandardInput.Close();
        process.WaitForExit();
        Debug.Log(process.StandardOutput.ReadToEnd());
    });
}

Additional Examples - What am I using it for

These examples below are examples of how I am currently using this Project and may not necessarily work for you.

1. Starting Android ADB Server

    [MenuItem("Window/Android/ADB/ADB (Start-Server)")]
    public static async Task StartAdbServer()
    {
        await Task.Run(() => ProcessUtilities.StartAdvProcess("adb", @" start-server"));
    }

2. Stopping Android ADB Server

    [MenuItem("Window/Android/ADB/ADB (Kill-Server)")]
    public static async Task KillAdbServer()
    {
        await Task.Run(() => ProcessUtilities.StartAdvProcess("adb", @" kill-server"));
    }

3. Starting Android Emulator

I use the android emulator to test builds of my android games etc. It does not replace an actual device but it definitely works.
Additionally I enable "Developer Settings" on the emulator to receive android logs about the device and game.

    [MenuItem("Window/Android/Emulator/Pixel_3")]
    public static async Task OpenAndroidEmulator()
    {
        await Task.Run(() => ProcessUtilities.StartAdvProcess("emulator", @"-avd Pixel_3_API_30"));
    }

Unity Specific Tips

MenuItem

The MenuItem attribute allows you to add menu items to the main menu and inspector context menus.
The MenuItem attribute turns any static function into a menu command. Only static functions can use the MenuItem attribute.

To use keyboard shortcuts with your custom processes, you can do the following:

To create a hotkey you can use the following special characters: 
% (ctrl on Windows, cmd on macOS), 
# (shift), 
& (alt). 

If no special modifier key combinations are required the key can be given after an underscore. 
For example to create a menu with hotkey shift-alt-g use "MyMenu/Do Something #&g". 
To create a menu with hotkey g and no key modifiers pressed use "MyMenu/Do Something _g".

Useful Links

C# - Process

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.diagnostics.process?view=net-6.0

C# - Process Start Info

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.diagnostics.processstartinfo?view=net-6.0

Windows - Command Prompt: Syntax and Parameters

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/cmd

Unity - MenuItem Attribute

https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/MenuItem.html#:~:text=The%20MenuItem%20attribute%20turns%20any,)%2C%20%26%20(alt).