Shell Programming and Scripting

ok, i tried to write a script called purge.sh
which searches current process' for a specified user running a process with a specified keyword. it also prompts the user to see how many times to purge for the specified process and how many different processes they wish to do this to.it worked until i added the part where it purges for the process as many times as you specified because that required a loop in a loop. Anyway , i got a bunch of errors so could someone tell me what i did wrong? its a little confusing so here's the code:


#!/bin/bash
clear
echo " "
echo " "
echo "Purge: Search for and kill target process(Case sensitive)"
echo " "
echo -n "Enter amount of times you wish to search/kill processes:"
read query_number
while [ $query_number -gt "0" ]; do
echo -n "How many times should Purge try and kill target process?('infinite' for never-ending purging)"
read purge_number
if [ $purge_number = "infinite" || $purge_number = "Infinite" ]; then
$purge_number="99999999999"
echo -n "Enter search terms for the target process:"
read search_terms
echo -n "Enter user running process('all' for everyone):"
read process_host
while [ $purge_number -gt "0" ]; do
if [ $process_host != "all" ]; then
process_line=$(ps -U $process_host | grep $search_terms)
echo $process_line
kill $process_line
done
else
process_line=$(ps -axc | grep $search_terms)
kill $process_line
fi
((purge_number=purge_number-1))
done
((query_number=query_number-1))
done

anybody know what i could do to fix it??

in your 2nd while loop it looks like your trying to use $purge_number as a interger when it is already a scalar. so instead of a "-gt" use $var > "0"

Code:

#!/bin/bash
clear
echo " "
echo " "
echo "Purge: Search for and kill target process(Case sensitive)"
echo " "
echo -n "Enter amount of times you wish to search/kill processes:"
read query_number

while [ $query_number -gt "0" ]; do
	echo -n "How many times should Purge try and kill target process?('infinite' for never-ending purging)"
	read purge_number
	if [ $purge_number = "infinite" || $purge_number = "Infinite" ]; then
		$purge_number="99999999999"
		echo -n "Enter search terms for the target process:"
		read search_terms
		echo -n "Enter user running process('all' for everyone):"
		read process_host
		while [ $purge_number >  "0" ]; do #i think you are trying to use $purge_number out of context.
			if [ $process_host != "all" ]; then
				process_line=$(ps -U $process_host | grep $search_terms)
				echo $process_line
				kill $process_line
				done
			else
				process_line=$(ps -axc | grep $search_terms)
				kill $process_line
			fi
			((purge_number=purge_number-1))
		done
		((query_number=query_number-1))
done

Please use CODE tags and format your script so it's easier to read! Trying to read a long, unformatted script can give a person headaches...

-----
Even though Optimus_P appears to have fixed it, I think you should still format the code in your script so as you're going along, so there's less chance of getting yourself confused.

thanks for the help. and ill try to remeber code tags and to format my code in the future. but how do you format code in vi? i cant make indentations all i can do is single spaces. do you know?

im still getting an error when i run it. this is what happens when i run it and enter "1" in the first prompt(should there be any kind of tags around what im posting here, oombera?):


Purge: Search for and kill target process(Case sensitive)

Enter amount of times you wish to search/kill processes: 1
./purge2.sh: line 24: syntax error near unexpected token `done'
./purge2.sh: line 24: ` done'


any help?

You have other syntax errors, but this should help you get past the error you have now:

You have an extra done and are missing a fi

$ diff ick44 ick45
23c23,24
< kill $process_line"
---
> kill $process_line
> done
26c27
< kill $process_line"
---
> kill $process_line
31d31
< fi

Cheers,

Keith

that helped, thanks.