sshnet / sshnet/SSH.NET

Please allow us to customize `OutputStream` and `ExtendedOutputStream` before executing an SSH command.

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C#
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Description

I have a use case where I want real time output from the console command to be printed to the console. Unfortunately, the streams that are written to cannot be customized with the existing public interface, even though the PipeStream class is extensible. The best solution I found to do what I need to do unfortunately requires reflection.

A public interface (such as a callback) for this feature would be greatly appreciated.

public static class SshClientExtensions
{
    public static async Task<SshCommand> ConnectAndExecuteCommandAsync(this SshClient client, string command, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
    {
        SshCommand sshCommand;
        try
        {
            await client.ConnectAsync(cancellationToken);
            sshCommand = client.CreateCommand(command);
            using CancellationTokenSource linkedCts = CancellationTokenSource.CreateLinkedTokenSource(cancellationToken);

            BindingFlags bindingFlags = BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.Instance;
            PropertyInfo stdOutProp = typeof(SshCommand).GetProperty(nameof(SshCommand.OutputStream), bindingFlags)!;
            PropertyInfo stdErrProp = typeof(SshCommand).GetProperty(nameof(SshCommand.ExtendedOutputStream), bindingFlags)!;

            PipeStream stdOutStream = (PipeStream)stdOutProp.GetValue(sshCommand)!;
            PipeStream stdErrStream = (PipeStream)stdErrProp.GetValue(sshCommand)!;

            await stdOutStream.DisposeAsync();
            await stdErrStream.DisposeAsync();

            TextWriterPipeStream stdOut = new(Console.Out);
            TextWriterPipeStream stdErr = new(Console.Error);

            stdOutProp.SetValue(sshCommand, stdOut);
            stdErrProp.SetValue(sshCommand, stdErr);

            await sshCommand.ExecuteAsync(cancellationToken);
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            return await Task.FromException<SshCommand>(e);
        }
        finally
        {
            client.Disconnect();
        }
        return sshCommand;
    }

    private sealed class TextWriterPipeStream : PipeStream
    {
        private readonly TextWriter textWriter;

        public TextWriterPipeStream(TextWriter textWriter) : base()
        {
            this.textWriter = textWriter;
        }

        public override void Write(byte[] buffer, int offset, int count)
        {
            base.Write(buffer, offset, count);
            string output = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(buffer, offset, count);
            textWriter.Write(output);
        }
    }
}

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First steps

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  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reviewing SshCommand.OutputStream and ExtendedOutputStream, the extensible PipeStream type, and the ExecuteAsync entry point. Define and validate a public customization mechanism that supports real-time standard output and error handling without reflection, with both streams remaining usable during command execution.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
csharp
Domain
networking
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
30/100

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