Thanks for all your replies!

the script previously worked fine before this (I tested it in both cases), but for the sake of being thorough (and I trust most people's opinions over mine in this case) I've stuck the quotes in.

ahh, my newbie mistake - i forgot that . / would be in my shell which happens to be ksh ! didn't make the connection. thanks!

the above has the same result as just typing backup.sh into the terminal (i didn't know about -n option, noexec according to man, thanks!).

which, with all the above changes, is now:

Code:

./backup.sh: 28: Syntax error: end of file unexpected (expecting "fi")

The line you're referring to is indeed only one line, without any breaks (though I know what you're saying, their isn't anywhere I can stick a second comment).

I actually did try doing this debugging - but not through out the entire script. Now its done and this is the code I used for the output I get:

CODE USED:

Code:

...
                         echo "BEFORE NESTED ELSE"#DEBUG
                 else
                         echo "I am not ready to backup, first download and delete the above mentioned contents of the $landingDir landing direct
ory."
                         work="NOT starting"
                         echo "AFTER NESTED ELSE"#DEBUG
                 fi #ENDIF FOR ERROR CHECKING
         echo "AFTER NESTED IF" #DEBUG
 else
         echo "Directory $landingDir does not exist, creating it now"
         work="STARTING"
         mkdir $landingDir
 fi #ENDIF LANDING DIR. CHECK
 
 echo "PAST LANDING DIR. CHECK" #DEBUG
 
 # MAIN MODULE: PARAMETERS, ERROR CHECK, TAR, GZIP
 if [ "$work" = "STARTING" ]
 then
         echo "INSIDE INITIAL IF - STARTER" #DEBUG

OUPUT REC'V:

Code:

...
Continuing backup sequence, as there are no old tars in the backup directory ./download/
BEFORE NESTED ELSE#DEBUG
AFTER NESTED IF
PAST LANDING DIR. CHECK
backup.sh: 29: Syntax error: end of file unexpected (expecting "fi")

Moved down a line to 29 because of the debugger echos i've inserted? not very helpful, as far as I can tell.

Incase anyone else sees this (and no it doesn't solve the syntax error):

I hadn't added an "else" to the most outer layer "if" statement (labeled "# MAIN MODULE: PARAMETERS, ERROR CHECK, TAR, GZIP") so I moved one of the lines a few spots downward to sit in-between the last two "fi" statements, like so (bottom of script):

Code:

                fi #ENDIF BACKUP DIR. CHECK
         else
                echo "Backup sequence ended early."
fi #ENDIF FOR MAIN MODULE