Shell Programming and Scripting

### Declare the Array for the PID(s)
declare -a PIDS

    :
    :
.... Other Code ....
    :
    :

### START: Function check_ps()...
#####################################
check_ps()
{
    ### Reset ${PIDS[]} to nothing...
    PIDS=""

    ### Save the Output into an array:
    PS_OUTPUT=( $(ps auxww | grep -v grep | grep "/usr/local/bin/Daemon_Process") )

    ### If this array is NOT empty, then start saving the PIDs
    if [ ! -z $PS_OUTPUT ]
     then
        x=0
        for line in "${PS_OUTPUT[@]}"
         do
            PIDS[$x]=$(echo "$line" | awk -F ' ' {'print $2'})
            x=$(($x+1))
        done
    else
        echo "The Daemon is NOT Running!"
    fi
}    
#####################################
### END: Function check_ps()...

stop_daemon()
{
    # Call Function check_ps to get the PIDs
    check_ps

    ### If the Array PIDS contains data, then...
    if [ ${#PIDS[@]} -gt 0 ]
     then
        ### While The Array still contains data, do...
        while [ ${#PIDS[@]} -ne 0 ]
         do
            ### PRINT SOME STUFF FOR TESTING...
            echo "LENGTH = ${#PIDS[@]}"
            echo -e "ELEMENT 0 = \"${PIDS[0]}\"\n"

            kill ${PIDS[0]}
            KILL_RETCODE=$?

            ### Re-Check 'ps auxww' for the daemon
            check_ps
        done
    fi
}

LENGTH = 1
ELEMENT 0 = "25589"

LENGTH = 1
ELEMENT 0 = ""

LENGTH = 1
ELEMENT 0 = ""

LENGTH = 1
ELEMENT 0 = ""

LENGTH = 1
ELEMENT 0 = ""
^C            --> HAVE TO KILL THE SCRIPT TO STOP THE LOOP.

check_ps()
{
        PIDS="$(ps auxww | awk -v ORS=" " '/\/usr\/local\/bin\/Daemon_Process/ { print $2 } END { printf("\n") }')"

        # Get count of strings in $# by setting $1, $2, ...
        # You weren't using function parameters anyway, so no harm.
        set -- $PIDS

        # Return true when PIDs exist to make your loop simpler
        [ "$#" -gt 0 ] && return 0
        # Return false when there's no PIDs
        return 1
}

while check_ps
do
        for X in $PIDS
        do
                kill $X
                break # Kill only the first by leaving the loop
        done
done

OUTPUT=$(ps auxww | grep [p]rocessname)

IFS='
'

x=0
for line in $OUTPUT
 do
        PID[$x]=$(echo "$line" | awk -F ' ' {'print $2'})
        x=$(($x+1))
done

for X in 9000 lines of junk
do
        echo "single line" | awk '{ extract something from single line }'
done

OUTPUT="$(ps auxww | grep [p]rocessname)"

# Don't run awk 9,000 times to process 9,000 lines.  Run it ONCE for everything.
PIDS="$(echo "$OUTPUT" | awk '{ print $2 }')"

# Get count in one operation
set -- $PIDS
echo "There are $# PID's"

for X in $PIDS
do
        echo "$X"
done

As for arrays, I thought I remember reading that putting a command in "ARRAY=( $(...) )" would automatically split the output on the IFS and
save it into an array..? I'm guessing that's incorrect?