Chapter 28. Programming the Bourne Again Shell

28. Programming the Bourne Again Shell

IN THIS CHAPTER

Control Structures	878
File Descriptors	911
Parameters and Variables	914
Array Variables	914
Locality of Variables	916
Special Parameters	918
Positional Parameters	920
Builtin Commands	926
Expressions	940
Shell Programs	948
A Recursive Shell Script	949
The quiz Shell Script	952

Chapter 7 introduced the shells and Chapter 9 went into detail about the Bourne Again Shell. This chapter introduces additional Bourne Again Shell commands, builtins, and concepts that carry shell programming to a point where it can be useful. The first part of this chapter covers programming control structures, which are also known as control flow constructs. These structures allow you to write scripts that can loop over command line arguments, make decisions based on the value of a variable, set up menus, and more. The Bourne Again Shell uses the same constructs found in such high-level programming languages as C.

The next part of this chapter discusses parameters and variables, going into detail about array variables, local versus global variables, special parameters, and positional parameters. The exploration of builtin commands covers type, which displays information about a command, and read, which allows you to accept user input in a shell script. The section on the exec builtin demonstrates how exec provides an efficient way to execute a command by replacing a process and explains how you can use it to redirect input and output from within a script. The next section covers the trap builtin, which provides a way to detect and respond to operating system signals (such as that which is generated when you press CONTROL-C). The discussion of builtins concludes with a discussion of kill, which can abort a process, and getopts, which makes it easy to parse options for a shell script. (Table 28-6 on page 939 lists some of the more commonly used builtins.)

Next the chapter examines arithmetic and logical expressions and the operators that work with them. The final section walks through the design and implementation of two major shell scripts.

This chapter contains many examples of shell programs. Although they illustrate certain concepts, most use information from earlier examples as well. This overlap not only reinforces your overall knowledge of shell programming but also demonstrates how you can combine commands to solve complex tasks. Running, modifying, and experimenting with the examples in this book is a good way to become comfortable with the underlying concepts.

Tip: Do not name a shell script test

You can unwittingly create a problem if you give a shell script the name test because a Linux utility has the same name. Depending on how the PATH variable is set up and how you call the program, you may run your script or the utility, leading to confusing results.

This chapter illustrates concepts with simple examples, which are followed by more complex ones in sections marked "Optional." The more complex scripts illustrate traditional shell programming practices and introduce some Linux utilities often used in scripts. You can skip these sections without loss of continuity the first time you read the chapter. Return to them later when you feel comfortable with the basic concepts.