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Top Forums Shell Programming and Scripting [bash] wanted: function with a clean way for multiple return values Post 302977109 by stomp on Tuesday 12th of July 2016 05:01:29 PM
Old 07-12-2016
[bash] wanted: function with a clean way for multiple return values

Hi,

I have a small part of a project which is done as a bash script. bash was selected as an portability issue that works out of the box. In this script I have an exec shell-function, a wrapper around arbitrary commands. I want to have STDOUT, as an addon STDERR and the EXIT-CODE of a specified command.

I'd like to have a clean wrapper, but my solution at the moment is ugly and does not produce clean code at the calling side. Maybe you have some hints to improve it.

In saying "clean" I'm thinking of side effect free programming, i. e. don't get into a mess with global variables and encapsulate all within the _exec function and just have that function to be called. (In the current situation, I have to use an additional line for every extra parameter I'm getting from _exec in the calling function.) I'd like to avoid eval("eval" should better be named "evil") too Smilie.

That's what I have so far:

Code:
function _dbg {
      # verbose logging here
}

function _fatal {
      # fatal error handling here
}

function _exec {
        local CMD=$1
        local OUT="$( $CMD 2>&1 ;echo "||$?" )"
        local EXIT_CODE="${OUT##*||}"

        # if no output is there at all [[:space:]]* does
        # not match. So do one with space and one without

        OUT="${OUT%[[:space:]]*||[0-9]*}"
        OUT="${OUT%||[0-9]*}"
        OUT="${OUT:-<EMPTY>}"

        if [ "$EXIT_CODE" != "0" ]; then
                _fatal $ESHELLERR "$EXIT_CODE" "$OUT" "$CMD"
        else
                _dbg "SHELL EXEC successful CMD: $CMD EXIT_CODE: $EXIT_CODE OUT: $OUT"
        fi
        echo "$EXIT_CODE||$OUT"
}

function _delete_compatible {

        local DIR="$1"
        local OUT="$(_exec "rm -rf $DIR")"
        local EXIT_CODE="${OUT%||*}"
        OUT="${OUT#*||}"
        if [ "$EXIT_CODE" == "0" ]; then
                _dbg "compatible delete successful"
                _success
        else
                echo "$OUT"
        fi
}

Not sure if this one will help me:
Returning Values from Bash Functions | Linux Journal

Last edited by stomp; 07-12-2016 at 06:21 PM..
 

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LIBBASH(7)							  libbash Manual							LIBBASH(7)

NAME
libbash -- A bash shared libraries package. DESCRIPTION
libbash is a package that enables bash dynamic-like shared libraries. Actually its a tool for managing bash scripts whose functions you may want to load and use in scripts of your own. It contains a 'dynamic loader' for the shared libraries ( ldbash(1)), a configuration tool (ldbashconfig(8)), and some libraries. Using ldbash(1) you are able to load loadable bash libraries, such as getopts(1) and hashstash(1). A bash shared library that can be loaded using ldbash(1) must answer 4 requirments: 1. It must be installed in $LIBBASH_PREFIX/lib/bash (default is /usr/lib/bash). 2. It must contain a line that begins with '#EXPORT='. That line will contain (after the '=') a list of functions that the library exports. I.e. all the function that will be usable after loading that library will be listed in that line. 3. It must contain a line that begins with '#REQUIRE='. That line will contain (after the '=') a list of bash libraries that are required for our library. I.e. every bash library that is in use in our bash library must be listed there. 4. The library must be listed (For more information, see ldbashconfig(8)). Basic guidelines for writing library of your own: 1. Be aware, that your library will be actually sourced. So, basically, it should contain (i.e define) only functions. 2. Try to declare all variables intended for internal use as local. 3. Global variables and functions that are intended for internal use (i.e are not defined in '#EXPORT=') should begin with: __<library_name>_ For example, internal function myfoosort of hashstash library should be named as __hashstash_myfoosort This helps to avoid conflicts in global name space when using libraries that come from different vendors. 4. See html manual for full version of this guide. AUTHORS
Hai Zaar <haizaar@haizaar.com> Gil Ran <ril@ran4.net> SEE ALSO
ldbash(1), ldbashconfig(8), getopts(1), hashstash(1) colors(1) messages(1) urlcoding(1) locks(1) Linux Epoch Linux
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