Bash script error

Doug Laidlaw

This is from the Creatures Docking Station, which is really too old to use.

But for my own knowledge, the bit below gives an error that 'dirname' is
missing an operand;

if [ "$fullpath" = "" ]; then
fullpath="$1"
fi
# Is the awk/ls magic portable?
if [ -L "$fullpath" ]; then
fullpath="`ls -l "$fullpath" | awk '{print $11}'`"
fi
dirname $fullpath

Setting a variable like this is common. Why doesn't it work in this
instance? It should ultimately resolve to "dirname $1" or whatever
fullpath is ultimately set at?

TIA,

Doug.

Bit Twister

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:38:26 -0500, David W. Hodgins wrote:
> On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:54:12 -0500,
> Bit Twister <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> wrote:

>> set - # set debugging mode off
>
> Lol. Care to try again ...

Nope. :-D

> set +x # set debugging mode off

Well, that does work. Just a habit for me to use "set -" since I might
have used set -xv

or any other switches.

Bit Twister

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:33:18 -0600, Jim Whitby wrote:

> If the dirname is a link. Try changing 11 to 10 in the awk statement.

and back to 11 if not.

Bit Twister

On Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:22:56 +1100, Doug Laidlaw wrote:
>
> But for my own knowledge, the bit below gives an error that 'dirname' is
> missing an operand;

Because it is. Trust the error message Luke.


> Setting a variable like this is common.

I hope not.

> Why doesn't it work in this instance?

Here try this.

set -x # enable debugging mode

if [ "$fullpath" = "" ]; then
fullpath="$1"
fi
# Is the awk/ls magic portable?
if [ -L "$fullpath" ]; then
fullpath="`ls -l "$fullpath" | awk '{print $11}'`"
fi

dirname $fullpath

set - # set debugging mode

David W. Hodgins

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:54:12 -0500, Bit Twister <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> wrote:

> On Mon, 7 Jan 2008 16:23:40 +0000 (UTC), Bit Twister wrote:
>
> Opps,
>> set - # set debugging mode
> set - # set debugging mode off

Lol. Care to try again ...

set +x # set debugging mode off

Since I'm correcting a type, there hasto be one somewhere in this msg too.

Regards, Dave Hodgins

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Jim Whitby

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:53:24 +0000, Bit Twister wrote:

> On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:33:18 -0600, Jim Whitby wrote:
>
>> If the dirname is a link. Try changing 11 to 10 in the awk statement.
>
> and back to 11 if not.

If it isn't a link.... the test fails.... right?

David W. Hodgins

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:47:24 -0500, Bit Twister <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> wrote:

> On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:38:26 -0500, David W. Hodgins wrote:
>> On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:54:12 -0500,
>> Bit Twister <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> wrote:
>
>>> set - # set debugging mode off
>> Lol. Care to try again ...
>
> Nope. :-D

My bad. I should have checked the man page ...

`-'
Signal the end of options, cause all remaining ARGUMENTS to
be assigned to the positional parameters. The `-x' and `-v'
options are turned off. If there are no arguments, the
positional parameters remain unchanged.

I've always used set +x +v to turn off debugging. Didn't realize "set -",
without the +x +v would turn them off.

Learn something new everyday

Regards, Dave Hodgins

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David W. Hodgins

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:47:24 -0500, Bit Twister <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> wrote:

> On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:38:26 -0500, David W. Hodgins wrote:
>> On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:54:12 -0500,
>> Bit Twister <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> wrote:
>
>>> set - # set debugging mode off
>> Lol. Care to try again ...
>
> Nope. :-D

My bad. I should have checked the man page ...

`-'
Signal the end of options, cause all remaining ARGUMENTS to
be assigned to the positional parameters. The `-x' and `-v'
options are turned off. If there are no arguments, the
positional parameters remain unchanged.

I've always used set +x +v to turn off debugging. Didn't realize "set -",
without the +x +v would turn them off.

Learn something new everyday

Regards, Dave Hodgins

--
Change nomail.afraid.org to ody.ca to reply by email.
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use in usenet. Feel free to use it yourself.)

David W. Hodgins

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:54:12 -0500, Bit Twister <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> wrote:

> On Mon, 7 Jan 2008 16:23:40 +0000 (UTC), Bit Twister wrote:
>
> Opps,
>> set - # set debugging mode
> set - # set debugging mode off

Lol. Care to try again ...

set +x # set debugging mode off

Since I'm correcting a type, there hasto be one somewhere in this msg too.

Regards, Dave Hodgins

--
Change nomail.afraid.org to ody.ca to reply by email.
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Bit Twister

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:38:26 -0500, David W. Hodgins wrote:
> On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:54:12 -0500,
> Bit Twister <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> wrote:

>> set - # set debugging mode off
>
> Lol. Care to try again ...

Nope. :-D

> set +x # set debugging mode off

Well, that does work. Just a habit for me to use "set -" since I might
have used set -xv

or any other switches.