Shell Document Generation and Retrieval Workflow

Objective

Enable reliable file creation (e.g., PowerPoint, PDFs) when direct API or library-based generation fails, ensuring the final artifact is located and moved to the working directory regardless of nested output paths.

When to Use

• Standard document generation tools (e.g., direct Python library calls in-memory) fail or are unavailable.
• The shell_agent capability is available for executing scripts.
• Generated files may be saved in unpredictable nested directories within the workspace.

Procedure

1. Attempt Shell-Based Generation

If direct tool invocation fails, delegate file creation to a shell-executed script.

• Write a script (e.g., generate_presentation.py or make_doc.sh) that produces the file.
• Execute the script via the shell agent.
• Ensure the script prints confirmation upon completion.

2. Locate the Output File

Do not assume the file is in the current directory. Shell scripts often create outputs in nested folders (e.g., ./workspace/output/, ./build/).

• Use the find command to search the workspace recursively.

• Example for PowerPoint files:

  find . -type f -name "*.pptx"

• Example for PDF files:

  find . -type f -name "*.pdf"

• Filter results by modification time if multiple versions exist (e.g., -mmin -10).

3. Retrieve to Working Directory

Once the file path is identified:

• Copy the file to the root working directory or the expected delivery location.

  cp /path/to/nested/file.pptx ./

• Verify the file exists and is non-zero size.

4. Verification

• Confirm the file opens correctly or meets size expectations.
• If the file is not found after find, check stderr of the generation script for path clues.

Best Practices

• Explicit Paths: Whenever possible, configure generation scripts to output to a known relative path (e.g., ./output/filename.pptx).
• Cleanup: Remove nested temporary copies after retrieving the final version to avoid confusion.
• Logging: Echo the final absolute path of the generated file in the script stdout to simplify locating.