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Error : [: missing `]'

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Top Forums Shell Programming and Scripting Error : [: missing `]'
# 1  
Old 10-27-2010
Power Error : [: missing `]'
Hi,

I am attempting to test the input value for an integer. And if the value is not an integer, the intent is to complain about it and exit. Only if I can get past the syntax error, life will be full.
Code:
# test input to be a number
[ echo "$1" | egrep -q '^[^0-9]+$'; ] && { echo "Invalid input; Enter an integer..."; exit 2; }

When I run it on the command line, I am getting the following error:
Code:
./aaa: line 4: [: missing `]'
./aaa: line 4: ]: command not found

Can someone please help point out how to fix the code?

thanks.
Last edited by IETF; 10-27-2010 at 02:09 PM..
# 2  
Old 10-27-2010
Why the ';'?

Maybe test does not honor ' ?

I usually say it like this in ksh, which I find more readable:
Code:
if [ "${1#*[^0-9]}" != "$1" ]
then
 echo "Invalid input; Enter an integer..."
 exit 2
fi

Last edited by DGPickett; 10-27-2010 at 02:21 PM..
This User Gave Thanks to DGPickett For This Post:
IETF
# 3  
Old 10-27-2010
If I remove the ';', then it seems like sh doesn't know when to stop looking for args to 'egrep'. Here is the output:

Code:
./aaa: line 4: [: missing `]'
egrep: ]: No such file or directory

# 4  
Old 10-27-2010
Alternative using "tr", not tried with egrep.

Code:
[ -z "`echo $1 | tr -d [0-9]`" ] || { echo "Invalid input; Enter an integer..."; echo exit 2; }

# 5  
Old 10-27-2010
methyl/DGPicket,

Thanks for offering the working solutions. It is still a head-scratcher why the original code is not working though. I used the hints from suggested solutions to get the regex match to work.
Code:
[ -z "`echo $1 | egrep '^[0-9]+$'`" ] && { echo "Invalid input; Enter an integer..."; exit 2; }
exit 0

Here is the test output:
Code:
$ ./bbb 10; echo $?
0
$ ./bbb abc10; echo $?
Invalid input; Enter an integer...
2
$ ./bbb abc; echo $?
Invalid input; Enter an integer...
2

thanks.
# 6  
Old 10-27-2010
The original code did not have anything to run the programs between the outer square brackets.
The Shell coughed on the sequence:
Code:
[ echo "$1" |

This User Gave Thanks to methyl For This Post:
IETF
# 7  
Old 10-27-2010
Of course, I check for not-number without enduring there is a number, an oversight:
Code:
if [ "$1" = "" -o "${1#*[^0-9]}" != "$1" ]

More readable is a case, a great structure for hanging nice comments, and saving you a grep fork/exec():
Code:
case "$i" in
(+([0-9]))
  good-stuff
  ;;
(*)
  error printout and exit
  ;;
esac

Last edited by DGPickett; 10-27-2010 at 04:23 PM..
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