Automtor shell script "command not found"

Question

I want to include the execution of a shell script in Automator. The script just executes a third-party application (actually, pdftk) with certain parameters. I have written the script, saved it in my Home directory as "foo.sh", made it executable, and can correctly call it from Terminal with ./foo.sh. It works as expected.
But if I include it in Automator's workflow, into action "Run shell script", its execution breaks complaining that "pdftk: command not found". This indicates that the script is correctly found and read by Automator. How is it, that Terminal's bash can find the command, but Automator doesn't ? Have commands to be written in a special way to be understood by Automator ? Perhaps third-party commands are not allowed in Automator ?

Answer 1

As twtwtw has said, you environment when running Automator is NOT the same as when you are in a Terminal session.
pwd:
/Users/harris
/bin/ls -dlaeO@ .
drwxr-xr-x  349 harris  harris  - 11866 Mar 14 22:06 .
id -a:  uid=501(harris)
gid=501(harris)
groups=501(harris),
204(_developer),
100(_lpoperator),
98(_lpadmin),
80(admin),
61(localaccounts),
12(everyone)
$# 0
printenv: SHELL=/bin/bash
TMPDIR=/var/folders/zv/zvU6+bMiHTeElG+JIWOdzk+++TI/-Tmp-/
Apple_PubSub_Socket_Render=/tmp/launch-rVMvHQ/Render
USER=harris
COMMAND_MODE=unix2003
SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/tmp/launch-fH4Gt7/Listeners
__CF_USER_TEXT_ENCODING=0x1F5:0:0
PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin
PWD=/Users/harris
DBUS_LAUNCHD_SESSION_BUS_SOCKET=/tmp/launch-RIPIu6/unix_domain_listener
SHLVL=1
HOME=/Users/harris
LOGNAME=harris
DISPLAY=/tmp/launch-ttdbVO/org.x:0
FRED=3-Mar-2009
_=/usr/bin/printenv