local execution of commands on remote files

[Adrian Lanz]

How I work with tramp:

1) I store links to remote machines and some of their most important
   directories in the BBDB; for that, I use the BBDB built-in
   functionality for ftp links (bbdb-create-ftp-site), which works
   also for tramp connections.

2) I search the BBDB for the remote directory I'd like to visit, press
   "F" (bbdb-ftp) and get a tramp supplied dired buffer.

3a) I visit or create the source file (in my case mostly a tex source
    file) and edit it. Or - more likely, as I am going to work for
    some time on the source, and for a reason I explain below - I copy
    the remote file to a temporary local file. From now on I edit and
    compile the tex source on my local machine, and before leaving the
    machine in the evening (or when I am satisfied with my work) I
    copy the source and and some important output files (dvi, ps, pdf)
    back to the remote machine (using, of course, again tramp).

3b) Some remote systems are places where I find the work of my
    collegues (hopefully in pdf, dvi, ps or some other reasonable
    output format). I use tramp to copy such files into some temporary
    directory on my local machine, and after that, I am ready to look
    at them with my local tools (xpdf, xdvi, gv, or what ever is
    appropriate).


My question: is there some tramp built-in functionality to "execute"
remote files on the local machine? After step 2 (tramp and dired have
brought up the remote directry listing) I would like to do something
like dired-do-shell-command (pressing "!"), which in this context
would mean: download the remote file to some (configurable) temporary
place on the local file system and then use the local application I
provide in the mini-buffer on that temporary file. What is sent back
to the remote system after the local command has been run would be
configurable. After latex'ing a remote file on the local machine, I
probably would like tramp to save the dvi file on the remote system;
after xpdf'ing a remote file on the local machine, nothing at all
would have to be sent back to the remote machine.

Thanks for your answers, Adrian.