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Full Discussion: Checking if file exists using a NOT operator and shell variable
Top Forums Shell Programming and Scripting Checking if file exists using a NOT operator and shell variable Post 302304085 by rowlf on Saturday 4th of April 2009 08:06:05 PM
Old 04-04-2009
Checking if file exists using a NOT operator and shell variable
Hi,

I'm new to UNIX, at least shell programming and am having trouble figuring out a problem i'm having. In one section in my nested if statement, i want the program to test if the file does not exist, based on an argument supplied at the command line by the user. What i have is

PHP Code:
elif [ -e !$4 ]; then
              echo "Message: File \"$4\" does not exist. Creating new file."
              touch $4
              cp $2 $4
              set error=o 
and from there it goes down a long list of other conditions, but this is the only one giving me problems. It skips completely over it and doesnt print anything to screen.

Another problem i'm having is with error codes. I want certain error code values to display if the user should decide to ask for the error code level at the command line, using a logical AND in addition to the arguments supplied for the main part of hte program. I tried changing the last line in all of my nested ifs to

PHP Code:
set $?=<error code i wanted> 
bu that threw an error saying an assignment was attempted on a nonvariable. OK fine, so how would this be done? Is it even possible to set up specified error codes in a shell script that you can call by using 'echo $?' ?

Any help is appreciated, thanks !!


Using BASH shell btw.
Last edited by rowlf; 04-04-2009 at 09:30 PM..
 

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LEARN ABOUT OSF1

sh

sh(1)							      General Commands Manual							     sh(1)

NAME

       sh - Shell, the standard command language interpreter

DESCRIPTION

       [Tru64  UNIX]  Tru64  UNIX  provides two command interpreters with the name sh.	The XCU5.0 and POSIX.2 compliant command interpreter sh is
       available in the file /usr/bin/posix/sh and is described in the sh(1p) reference page.  The Bourne shell,  historically	known  as  sh,	is
       available in the file /usr/bin/sh and is described in the sh(1b) reference page.

       [Tru64 UNIX]  Your initial, or login, shell is determined by your entry in the file /etc/passwd. This file can be changed only by your sys-
       tem administrator. You must use whatever procedures are in place at your location to have this entry changed.

       [Tru64 UNIX]  If available on your system, you may use the passwd -s or the chsh commands to change your login shell.

									  Note

       This option is not available if your site manages passwords through the Network Information Service (NIS) facility.  Check with your system
       administrator.

       [Tru64 UNIX]  Subsequent shells spawned from the initial shell depend on the value in the environment variable BIN_SH.  If this variable is
       set to xpg4, the POSIX shell is started. If this variable is set to svr4, an SVR4 compliant version of the shell is started. If this  vari-
       able  is  unset,  the  Bourne shell is started. If this variable is set to any other value, an error is reported and the results are unpre-
       dictable. See the EXAMPLES section for information on setting this variable.

NOTES

       [Tru64 UNIX]  With Tru64 UNIX Version 4.0 the Korn shell, /usr/bin/ksh is the same as the POSIX shell /usr/bin/posix/sh.

RESTRICTIONS

       [Tru64 UNIX]  The file /etc/shells must include entries for both the POSIX shell /usr/bin/posix/sh and the Bourne  shell,  /usr/bin/sh.	If
       this file is incorrect, see your system administrator.

EXAMPLES

       Using  the  Bourne,  Korn,  or  POSIX  shell, to set the variable BIN_SH to use the POSIX/ XCU5.0compliant shell, enter: BIN_SH=xpg4 export
       BIN_SH Using the Bourne, Korn, or POSIX shell, to set the variable BIN_SH to use the SVR4 compliant shell, enter: BIN_SH=svr4 export BIN_SH
       Using the Bourne, Korn, or POSIX shell, to unset the variable BIN_SH, enter: unset BIN_SH Using the C/ shell, to set the variable BIN_SH to
       use the POSIX/XCU5.0 compliant shell, enter: setenv BIN_SH xpg4 Using the C/ shell, to set the variable BIN_SH to use  the  SVR4  compliant
       shell, enter: setenv BIN_SH svr4 Using the C/ shell, to unset the variable BIN_SH, enter: unsetenv BIN_SH

FILES

       User profile.  Contains user information, including the login shell name.  Contains the names of available and permitted shells.

SEE ALSO

       Commands:  csh(1), ksh(1), Bourne shell sh(1b), POSIX shell sh(1p), passwd(1)

       Files:  passwd(4), shells(4)

       Standards:  standards(5)

																	     sh(1)
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