Question regarding cat command


 
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# 1  
Old 08-06-2009
Question regarding cat command

Hello Friends,

I have a question, i am trying to write a shell script in the bash shell.

#!/bin/sh
NAWK=/bin/nawk
AWK=/bin/awk

FIX_XML_PATH=/home/administrator/testfix/fix/
Y=`ls $FIX_XML_PATH | grep xml`
echo $Y
cat $Y

in this case when i do the echo $Y command it gives me the file name and when i do cat $Y, is give the error that not a file or directory.

What am i doing wrong can u please suggest?

Thanks
AdiSmilie
# 2  
Old 08-06-2009
adi, can you tell me what is the value of Y. I think you are getting more than one filename. In that case, it may throw the error.

Can you run the script as
Code:
sh -vx <scriptname>

paste the logs that will help us in figuring out the error easily.
# 3  
Old 08-06-2009
Quote the variable if you have spaces in your filename:

Code:
cat "$Y"

Regards
# 4  
Old 08-06-2009
Some comments:
- If you use bash, then start your script with /bin/bash.
- NAWK and AWK are unused, they are distracting.
- It is possible you are using a version of ls that add some characters to the file name that makes it unusable by cat.
- It is also possible the xml filename contains blanks, in such case, you'll need to use double quotes at several places in your script.
- mac4rfree suggestion is incorrect, multiple files are happily displayed by cat.

What says:
Code:
echo $Y | od -c

?
# 5  
Old 08-06-2009
Hi.

This is probably because the script is not in the same directory as the xml files, so you need to add the path to the filenames.

One option is:

Code:
#!/bin/sh
NAWK=/bin/nawk
AWK=/bin/awk
FIX_XML_PATH=/root/tmp/XML/
Y=`ls $FIX_XML_PATH | grep xml`
echo $Y
echo $Y | awk -v D=$FIX_XML_PATH -v RS=" " '{system( "cat " D $1)}'

Or a better option is to change the line:
Code:
Y=`ls $FIX_XML_PATH/*.xml`


Last edited by Scott; 08-06-2009 at 11:33 AM..
# 6  
Old 08-06-2009
Hi,
I chaged the script a little bit,
#!/bin/sh

FIX_XML_PATH=/home/administrator/testfix/fix
FIX_FILE=`ls $FIX_XML_PATH | grep xml`

echo $FIX_FILE
cat $FIX_FILE

Variable $FIX_FILE store a xml file.Smilie


*******logs*******


$ sh -vx xmlParse.sh
#!/bin/sh

FIX_XML_PATH=/home/administrator/testfix/fix
+ FIX_XML_PATH=/home/administrator/testfix/fix
FIX_FILE=`ls $FIX_XML_PATH | grep xml`
ls $FIX_XML_PATH | grep xml
++ ls /home/administrator/testfix/fix
++ grep xml
+ FIX_FILE=fix_com.ibm.rational.clearcase.nt_i386.ifix0003_7.1.2.0000-7-
0-2009B-TESTFIX-CC-D090803_for_7.1.2.0000-7-1-0-02-00-2009B-D090617.xml

echo $FIX_FILE
+ echo fix_com.ibm.rational.clearcase.nt_i386.ifix0003_7.1.2.0000-7-1-0-
09B-TESTFIX-CC-D090803_for_7.1.2.0000-7-1-0-02-00-2009B-D090617.xml
fix_com.ibm.rational.clearcase.nt_i386.ifix0003_7.1.2.0000-7-1-0-02-00-2
TFIX-CC-D090803_for_7.1.2.0000-7-1-0-02-00-2009B-D090617.xml
cat $FIX_FILE
+ cat fix_com.ibm.rational.clearcase.nt_i386.ifix0003_7.1.2.0000-7-1-0-0
9B-TESTFIX-CC-D090803_for_7.1.2.0000-7-1-0-02-00-2009B-D090617.xml
cat: fix_com.ibm.rational.clearcase.nt_i386.ifix0003_7.1.2.0000-7-1-0-02
B-TESTFIX-CC-D090803_for_7.1.2.0000-7-1-0-02-00-2009B-D090617.xml: No su
or directory
# 7  
Old 08-06-2009
franklin, one interesting i found,

Code:
ad02 $ cat $a
10081551
10081599
10082234
10082259
20081134
20081159
30082232
10087721
kjlsab;kfd
kjbnaskj
kjabn;kj
akjldsb;k
akj;dhbsa
ad02 $ cat "$a"
cat: 0652-050 Cannot open aout.xml
bout.xml
cout.xml.
ad02 $ echo $a
aout.xml bout.xml cout.xml
ad02 $

here without quotes, it opens all the three files, but with quotes, it is throwing an error.
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