When is a _function_ not a _function

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Top Forums UNIX for Advanced & Expert Users When is a _function_ not a _function_? Post 302832031 by wisecracker on Friday 12th of July 2013 02:00:34 PM

07-12-2013

Registered User

When is a _function_ not a _function_?

For a starter I know the braces are NOT in the code...

Consider these code snippets:-

Code:

#!/bin/bash --posix
x=0
somefunction()
if [ $x = 0 ]
then
	echo "I am here."
fi
# somefunction





#!/bin/bash --posix
x=0
somefunction()
if [ $x = 0 ]
then
	echo "I am here."
fi
somefunction





#!/bin/bash --posix
x=0
somefunction()
echo "Why does this crash?"
if [ $x = 0 ]
then
	echo "I am here."
fi
somefunction

Now using OSX 10.7.5 and bash here is the result:-

Code:

Last login: Fri Jul 12 18:41:45 on ttys000
AMIGA:barrywalker~> ./func.sh
AMIGA:barrywalker~> ./func.sh
I am here.
AMIGA:barrywalker~> ./func.sh
./func.sh: line 4: syntax error near unexpected token `echo'
./func.sh: line 4: `echo "Why does this crash?"'
AMIGA:barrywalker~> _

Why do the first two snippets work as predicted, (although without the braces), yet the third crashes out with the error report?
What is going on?

Can someone explain what is going on?

Many thanks...

wisecracker

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LEARN ABOUT SUNOS

echo

echo(1B)					     SunOS/BSD Compatibility Package Commands						  echo(1B)

NAME

       echo - echo arguments to standard output

SYNOPSIS

       /usr/ucb/echo [-n] [argument]

DESCRIPTION

       echo writes its arguments, separated by BLANKs and terminated by a NEWLINE, to the standard output.

       echo  is useful for producing diagnostics in command files and for sending known data into a pipe, and for displaying the contents of envi-
       ronment variables.

       For example, you can use echo to determine how many subdirectories below the root directory (/) is your current directory, as follows:

	 o  echo your current-working-directory's full pathname

	 o  pipe the output through tr to translate the path's embedded slash-characters into space-characters

	 o  pipe that output through wc -w for a count of the names in your path.

	      example% /usr/bin/echo "echo $PWD | tr '/' ' ' | wc -w"

       See tr(1) and wc(1) for their functionality.

       The shells csh(1), ksh(1), and sh(1), each have an echo built-in command, which, by default, will have precedence, and will be  invoked	if
       the  user  calls  echo without a full pathname. /usr/ucb/echo and csh's echo() have an -n option, but do not understand back-slashed escape
       characters. sh's echo(), ksh's echo(), and /usr/bin/echo, on the other hand, understand the  black-slashed  escape  characters,	and  ksh's
       echo() also understands a as the audible bell character; however, these commands do not have an -n option.

OPTIONS

       -n	Do not add the NEWLINE to the output.

ATTRIBUTES

       See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:

       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
       |      ATTRIBUTE TYPE	     |	    ATTRIBUTE VALUE	   |
       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
       |Availability		     |SUNWscpu			   |
       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+

SEE ALSO

       csh(1), echo(1), ksh(1), sh(1), tr(1),  wc(1), attributes(5)

NOTES

       The -n option is a transition aid for BSD applications, and may not be supported in future  releases.

SunOS 5.10							    3 Aug 1994								  echo(1B)