Redirect stdout & stderr and append to a file

Santi · #1 (**permalink**) 01-02-2006

Hello

I want to append to a file the stdout and stderr outputs from script, this works fine:

Code:

$ ./script.pl >> /tmp/outputs.txt 2>> /tmp/outputs.txt

But I want to use only one redirection "command", but it fails:

Code:

$ ./script.pl &>> /tmp/outputs.txt  
-bash: syntax error near unexpected token `>'

This works using "create redirection" (>) instead of "append redirect" (>>):

Code:

$ ./script.pl &> /tmp/outputs.txt

It's possible to redirect and *append* to a file only with one redirection?

Thanks!

--
Santi Saez

bakunin · #2 (**permalink**) 01-02-2006

Why you "want to use just one redirection" eludes me.

It is possible to redirect one output channel to another like "2>&1" which means "put the output of channel 2 (stderr) where right now channel 1 (stdout) goes" and let channel 1 point to a file:

process >>file 2>&1

But to be honest i would prefer you first solution with separately mentioned files for stdout and stderr anytime on weekdays and twice on sundays - it makes a much easier to maintain code AND it is not position dependent:

process >file 2>&1

will have stderr and stdout go to <file>, but:

process 2>&1 >file

will have stdout go to <file> and stderr to - screen! , because when the direction channel 2 should point to is evaluated channel 1 is still pointing to the terminal and not to the file.

This is one of the most common errors in crontabs and responsible for an awful lot of unnecessary (and unwanted) mails to root (the cronjobs replacement for a terminal).

bakunin

Santi · #3 (**permalink**) 01-02-2006

Dear bakunin,

Thanks for the explanation, this works fine for me:

Code:

ntpdate pool.ntp.org >> $TMP 2>&1

Regards

--
Santi Saez

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