Re: [PLUG] Easy Bash Scripting Question

[bergman@merctech.com]

In the message dated: Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:45:16 EST,
The pithy ruminations from Casey Bralla on 
<[PLUG] Easy Bash Scripting Question> were:
=> I've written a bash script and I find that the commands don't normally echo to 
=> the screen, so I can't follow along with the script.

You want the "-x" option to bash, as in:
	bash -x ./myscript
for testing, or by changing the first line in the script to:
	#! /bin/bash -x
to make it permanent.

=> 
=> for example:
=> 
=> #!/bin/bash
=> cp file1 file2
=> mkdir /directory1
=> cd /directory1
=> rm *

Whoa! That's very risky....think of what happens if the "mkdir" or "cd" 
commands fail. I've seen developers wipe out a multi-millon dollar
ecommerce site multiple times with just this kind of error. (Yes, multiple 
times...they assumed it was an OS or sysadmin error, and after I restored the 
server--multiple times--they kept running the same script...loads of fun.)

Before running this script, I'd strongly recommend:

	changing the "rm" command to echo what it would do, as in:

		echo "Would do: rm *"


	learning how to check the return value of a command (the mkdir & cd),
	and how to avoid doing the following operations if the command[s]
	failed

Mark

=> cd ..
=> 
=> 
=> 
=> 
=> 
=> 
=> I'd like to know when the script is copying files, and when it is erasing files.
=> 
=> I could add echo statements, but it would be much simpler if the actual bash 
=> commands simply echoed to the screen.
=> 
=> Is there a simple way to do this?
=> 
=> 
=> TIA JP!
=> -- 
=> 
=> Casey Bralla
=> Chief Nerd in Residence
=> The NerdWorld Organisation
=> 
=> http://www.NerdWorld.org
=> ___________________________________________________________________________
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=> 



-----
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___________________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Linux Users Group         --        http://www.phillylinux.org
Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
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