UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hello all,

I'm working on a general script for something at work. I'm an up-and-comer backup for a Shell Scripter this company has had for 35 years lol. Anyway, I have a config file I'm trying to pull Variables from as the Config File is used for multiple scripts. Does the below make sense and is there any better way to do this?

Config File:

Code:

DayOfWeek Fri

Script:

Code:

function GetConfigParms
{
     DayOfWeek=`grep DayOfWeek app.main.cfg | awk '{print $2}'`
}

I appreciate it!

Code:

DayOfWeek=$( awk '/DayOfWeek/{print $2}' app.main.cfg )

No need for patterns when we can use an exact parameter name:

Code:

awk '$1==s{print $2}' s=DayOfWeek file

Do you get to pick what your config file looks like? I'd have a config file like this:

Code:

DayOfWeek=Fri
SomethingElse=whatever

...which you could load directly just by doing . /path/to/configfile Note the space between the dot and the file. Dot is an operarator here, for 'source', which runs lines from that file in your own script.

If you're stuck with a config file like that one though, I might try this:

Code:

while read VAR VALUE
do
        if [ ! -z "$VAR" ]
        then
                read $VAR <<EOF
$VALUE
EOF
        fi
done < configfile

The trick is, read takes a variable name. So VAR=ABCD ; read $VAR reads into the ABCD variable.

The ConfigFile is to my choosing. That's a similar format to how the guy I'm learning from had his, so I kept it. I prefer the

ParmName=Value

or

ParmName:Value

setup.

I appreciate your help guys! Note I only showed one Parm as an example, the file has many. I have it currently in multiple lines pulling it in. No loops, etc.

just follow the Corona688's suggestion with the paramName=paramValue format and 'sourcing' the config file - that's a better and an easier maintained paradigm.

Oh ok. I talked with him and I guess he's making more work for himself. He sets an environment variables AND a config file separately, sourcing the env.vars and then using a function to pull in config parameters. I don't see why I can't just use one file and source it, as Corona said above. I feel like creating a function and grep'ping each damn variable isn't necessary.