Queue commands to last subshel even if one of them launches new shell

Question

I want to automate something writing simple script launching consecutively few scripts one after another. And then setting some aliases at the top shell.
Problem: few of these commands launch new shell. And all commands after that one are launched in previous shell. Is there anyway to queue these commands coming after that one in "top" shell?
Simple Example:

#!/usr/bin/ksh
#normally this ksh is executed deep inside other script i cannot modify
ksh
echo test

Is there any way to print "test" on shell just started by ksh command? Normally test is printed in previous shell - becomes available after "exit" command Thanks for any help.

Answer 1

Four alternatives, but each of them has a drawback:

1. Make sure that the commands that you want to execute in the ksh are written to the file mycmds and start the ksh in the following form:

   cat mycmds /dev/tty | ksh -i
   

   Drawback: You lose the command-line editing features of ksh.

2. Make sure that the commands that you want to execute in the ksh are written to the file /tmp/mycmds$$; set the environment variable MYCMDS to /tmp/mycmds$$ before starting ksh -l; and add the following to your $HOME/.profile:

   if [ -n "$MYCMDS" ] ; then
       . "$MYCMDS"
       MYCMDS=
       export MYCMDS
   fi
   

   Drawback: Everybody who uses this program has to modify his $HOME/.profile.

3. Organize the entire thing in such a way that the commands you want to execute are written to a file mycmds which is then sourced via . mycmds in the initial shell. Put all that into a function definition.

   Drawback: Rather than starting a new shell, you modify the environment and/or alias definitions of the initial one. Everybody who uses this program has to use ksh.

4. Make sure that the commands that you want to execute are written to the file mycmds and start a bash in the following form:

   bash -i --init-file mycmds
   

   Drawback: You get a bash instead of a ksh.