Run a bash script with soft timeout

README.md

This little shell boilerplate can be used to run a long running program that has a custom exit state if a timeout is reached. Usefull to monitor by exit state.

The script basically sleeps for the allowed lifetime and touches a file if the parent process is still running. The running process IS NOT INTERUPTED, but after it finished a pre-defined exit state is retuned by the script if timeout was reached.

Config

• Define exit code in line :4
• optionally define lifetime in line :7
• optionally define temp file in line :10
• Insert long running code and delete lines :30 and :31
• optionally correct placement of default exit code from line :36
• optionally apply more logic if timeout is reached at line :44
• optionally apply more logic if timeout is NOT reached at line :48

run-with-soft-timeout.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# timeout exit state
to_exit=214

# lifetime in seconds
lifetime=2

# path of temp file ($$ evaluates to current PID)
tmp_name="/tmp/timelimit-$$"

# Remove tracking file if existing
[[ -f "$tmp_name" ]] && rm -f "$tmp_name"

# Parameters: LIFETIME_IN_SECONDS FILENAME_TO_TOUCH PPID_OF_PROCESS_TO_CHECK
function sleep_n_touch {
    # sleep
    sleep $1
    # if process is still running, touch a file
    ps -p "$3" > /dev/null && touch "$2"
}

# Run function (in background)
sleep_n_touch "$lifetime" "$tmp_name" $$ &
# #############################




# INSERT CODE TO CONTINUE ^^
sleep 3


# Get exit state of last executed command
# Might get placed elsewhere, if needed
state=$?





# #############################
if [[ -f "$tmp_name" ]]; then
    # TIMEOUT WAS REACHED
    rm -f "$tmp_name"
    exit "$to_exit"
else
    # TIMEOUT NOT REACHED
    exit "$state"
fi