Shell Programming and Scripting

please try this:
tarCheck=`ls $landingDir/*tar*`
instead of belowing.

tarCheck=`ls $landingDir | grep -i *tar*`

You are correct about "if [ "$work" = "STARTING" ]".

1. I put
work=""
after your sql_Dir=... statement

2. I modify the statement
echo "PAST LANDING DIR. CHECK with work = $work in the $landingDir copy to $toBackUpDir"
to trace on variable's value

3. I change your if cause script from if [ -<option> <argument>] to if test -<option> <argument>
and execute the script.
I get this.

_______________________________________________________
backup.sh is a shell script designed to backup pre- |
specified files to a pre-specified file path. For |
details see the parameters. - Jonathan Zacsh 5/20/09 |
______________________________________________________|
Script Started: Wed May 20 12:54:52 ICT 2009
---------------

Checking for specified landing directory: ./download/
Directory ./download/ is present and ready to receive backup.
Checking that ./download/ does not contain old backup files.
The variable $tarCheck returns: ./download//super_backup.tar
I am not ready to backup, first download and delete the above mentioned contents of the ./download/ landing directory.
AFTER NESTED ELSE#DEBUG
AFTER NESTED IF
PAST LANDING DIR. CHECK with work = NOT starting in the ./download/ copy to ./tmp
AFTER OUTER-LAYER IF-STATEMENT
Backup sequence ended early.

---------------
Script Ended: Wed May 20 12:54:52 ICT 2009
_______________________________________________________
|_____________________________________________________|

So it means if you can get this you can continue to fine tune your script.
I hope you will get it.
Note: super_backup.tar is existing in my sudirectory download .

haha, I was using such a complicated approach! thanks

-I did part 1 (pre-setting the variable $work)
-I did part 2 (actually, clarified a few of my "debugger" statements to be more helpful)
-I did part 3 - but, did you only change a few of the if statements to if test? or did you change every if statement in the script to if test? I changed everything to if test

and STILL I'm getting the same exact error:

Code:

Checking for specified landing directory: ./download/
Directory ./download/ is present and ready to receive backup.
Checking that ./download/ does not contain old backup files.
The variable $tarCheck returns: ./download/tar
I am not ready to backup, first download and delete the above mentioned contents of the ./download/ landing directory.
AFTER NESTED ELSE, WORK HAS BEEN SET TO NOT starting
AFTER NESTED IF, WORK HAS BEEN SET TO: NOT starting and no previous backups exist
PAST LANDING DIR. CHECK with work = NOT starting the ./tmp copy to ./download/
backup.sh: 29: Syntax error: end of file unexpected (expecting "fi")

I've attached my copy of the script. I figure it'll be easier if you do:
diff yourCopy myCopy
and let me know what's different? or post your version up and I'll do it.. because I'm thinking maybe I misunderstood one of these many past pieces of advice in this thread, and i'm not on the same page? or maybe you could run my script, and if it works than I'll know its my system that's different (though, i very highly doubt that will be the case)...? shooting for anything here. thanks again

Hi! I change the if cause only that it should use the test command.
I remove some of your comment lines to make it easy to sweep my eyes on it.
I attach the test file to let you take a look on it.

Hope this can help.

OH no! you called it from the beginning but I thought the vi editor which showed line numbers (and it really only did show ONE line number for that entire thing) was enough proof!

Man, I'm sorry tom_cmu. Well atleast I learned how to clean up my code, and not to really rely on the silly logical expectations I have of the software I use. (I only really noticed this when I downloaded my own copy to my xp machine and viewed it with Notepad++, the syntax highlighting is what made it so obvious something was wrong with that line)

removed this, and everything was fine:

Code:

  #OLD WAY: #fileName=`date | sed -n s/ /_/g p | sed -n s/^/Backup_/p | sed -n s/$/\.tgz/p |  sed -n s/^/$landingDir/p`  #NAME OF BACKUP FILE

Thanks again for all the help - this was some seriously awesome community support here, thank you!

ps. is there some way to mark this thread as solved?

This bit is two lines, not one. The second line is therefore not commented out.

Code:

       #OLD WAY: #fileName=`date | sed -n s/ /_/g p | sed -n s/^/Backup_/p | sed -n s/$/\.tgz/p |  sed -n s/^
/$landingDir/p`  #NAME OF BACKUP FILE

I've attached a screen shot of how vi shows the line numbers (on the left-hand side), so that you can understand that the place in this line that you might see the text wrap is not the same place my environment may be wrapping it (wrap, not a line break).

Because I could see that it was a wrap and not a line break:
* the line numbers skip over that part (all shown as line #61)
* the wrap is at dingDir/p` whereas yours is at /$landingDir
I don't see where I could stick a second comment (#).

Looking at that ^ (and the two attachments, one shows the same thing with my terminal sized differently on my desktop) is there something I'm not understanding?