Execute bash script using CygWin

Question

How do you execute a bash script using CygWin? I am trying execute a bash script as part of a build.xml. This is the code snippet,

<property name="cygwinpath" value="C:/cygwin/bin/"/>
<property name="script" value="D:/tomcatserverxml"/>


<exec dir="${cygwinpath}" executable="bash.exe">
    <arg value="${script}"/>    
</exec> 

Answer 1

The error message say that there is no bash.exe to be found in the C:/cygwin/bin/ path.

You mention a "build.xml" so I assume that you are using Ant to do a build.

If you are using Ant from inside CygWin then you must use the CygWin conventions for paths. So you have to use simply /bin/ as path for bash.

(In this convention C:/foo/bar/ transalte to /cygdrive/c/foo/bar/ but CygWin simulate a *nix like filesistem so there is a /bin/ and a /usr/bin/ (and so on) that point to the right places. Check CygWin docs: Using Cygwin)

Do a simple check:

• into a CygWin terminal type the command ls /bin/bash.exe : it list the executable for bash
• open a windows CMD and type the command dir C:\cygwin\bin\bash.exe: it list the executable for bash

If the second commad fail, probably CygWin is not installed in the standard path C:/cygwin/ so do check another path like D:/cygwin/.