Bash Tips and Pitfalls: Difference between revisions

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Some text
Some text
...on 2 lines...
...on 2 lines...
</source>

The different ways to extract file size in a Bash script:

<source lang="bash">
SIZE=$(stat -c%s "$FILENAME") # Using stat
SIZE=$(ls -l $FILENAME | awk -F" "'{ print $5 }') # Using ls / awk
SIZE=$(du -b $FILENAME | sed 's/\([0-9]*\)\(.*\)/\1/') # Using du
SIZE=$(cat $FILENAME | wc -c) # Using cat / wc
SIZE=$(ls -l $FILENAME | cut -d " " -f 6) # Using ls / cut

</source>
</source>



Revision as of 15:18, 24 August 2009

Tips

Parsing Command-Line Option Parameters

  • To parse option like -value=name ([1])
until [[ ! "$*" ]]; do
  if [[ ${1:0:2} = '--' ]]; then
    PAIR=${1:2}
    PARAMETER=`echo ${PAIR%=*} | tr [:lower:] [:upper:]`
    eval P_$PARAMETER=${PAIR##*=}
  fi
  shift
done

Miscellaneous

Empty a file named filename, keeping the same permission and user/group:

>filename

Print multi-lines text with echo:

$ echo -e "Some text\n...on 2 lines..."                    # Enable interpretation of backslash escapes (must be quoted!)
Some text
...on 2 lines...

The different ways to extract file size in a Bash script:

SIZE=$(stat -c%s "$FILENAME")                              # Using stat
SIZE=$(ls -l $FILENAME | awk -F" "'{ print $5 }')          # Using ls / awk
SIZE=$(du -b $FILENAME | sed 's/\([0-9]*\)\(.*\)/\1/')     # Using du
SIZE=$(cat $FILENAME | wc -c)                              # Using cat / wc
SIZE=$(ls -l $FILENAME | cut -d " " -f 6)                  # Using ls / cut

Pits

Description Example
Space! - Don't forget to add spaces whenever necessary, in particular around brace in function definition, or in test conditions for ifs.

if -space- [ -space- -f /etc/foo -space- ]; then ...
function myfunc() { -space- echo Hello, World!; }

Quote - Always quote parameters, variables passed to test in if ... then ... else:

if [ "$name" -eq 5 ]; then ...

For loops with file - Use simply * to list files in for loops, not `ls *`:
for file in *; cat "$file"; done       # SUCCEEDS, even if white space
for file in `ls *`; cat "$file"; done  # FAILS miserably
Space variable setting - There must be no space between the variable name and the subsequent equal sign. Also the variable name must not be prefixed with a $
srcDir = $1        # WRONG - spaces around = sign
$srcDir=$1         # WRONG - variable name must not have $ prefix
srcDir=$1          # CORRECT
srcDir="$1"        # BEST