Your pasted scrpit code code seems to be missing the first few lines, but this is probably a typo too. Also your line:

Code:

[v287980@attir50 /]$ grep -c "$iCurrDay /usr/local/wam/scripts/attempts.log 
3

misses a double quote, but that is probably a typo too.

Your real mistake is not to understand the "scope" of variables. Variables are always bound to the context they are defined in. Outside of this context, they do not exist. (It is possible to overrule this somewhat by using "export", but let us set this aside for the moment.)

consider the following script:

Code:

#! /bin/bash

subfunc1 ()
{
typeset localvar="abc"
echo "inside subfunc1(), value of localvar is: $localvar"
return 0
}


# ------- main
typeset localvar="XYZ"

echo "in the main routine, value of localvar is: $localvar"
subfunc1
echo "back in main, value of localvar is: $localvar"

exit 0

A main routine is executed. This routine calls another routine, "subfunc1()" and - upon entering this function - the context changes. When leaving this function, the context changes again and the original variables are restored.

Now, in light of this, check where "iCurrDay" is defined. You will see that outside the function pCheckAttempts() the value of "iCurrDay" is not defined because the variable inside this function - is INSIDE! And nowhere else!

You might want to play around with the example script above, defining and displaying additional variables at various places, to get comfortable with the concept. In fact this is a very powerful device. With this it is possible to write subfunctions which do not care about their surroundings. (In fact it is strongly advised to write every function this way.) This is part of a general programming concept called "encapsulation". This means that in a program every subfunction should be completely independent of all the other parts in its own operation.

For instance, it is possible to do this (here we come back to the "export" keyword):

Code:

#! /bin/bash

subfunc1 ()
{
typeset localvar="abc"
echo "inside subfunc1(), value of localvar is: $localvar"
echo "inside subfunc1(), value of blabla is: $blabla"
return 0
}


# ------- main
typeset localvar="XYZ"
typeset othervar="blabla"

# export othervar

echo "in the main routine, value of localvar is: $localvar"
echo "                     value of blabla is: $blabla"
subfunc1
echo "back in main, value of localvar is: $localvar"
echo "                     value of blabla is: $blabla"

exit 0

Run this once as it is and then after uncommenting the line "export othervar" and notice the effect. After exporting the variable it becomes visible in subfunc1() too. Do such a thing only with extreme caution, because now the function becomes dependent on something outside. It would not be possible any more to take it out of the script and use it in another script.

I hope this helps.

bakunin