Shell Programming and Scripting

hi all ,

i just tried to take the status of previous command inside the script using
echo $?. It throws me a variable syntax error , but when i use echo $? as an individual command it works perfectly .

can anyone Please tell me why am getting a variable syntax error when i use echo $? inside a script . am using csh shell ..

thanks a lot in advance ..

Please post your exact code, not what you interpret it to be.

Code:

Code:

#!/bin/csh -f

################
# Set Variables
################

set curdate = `date '+%Y%m%d'`
set datetime = `date '+%m%d%y_%H%M'`

grep abc abc.txt

echo $?

exit(0)

Ideally this should return status 2 since there is no file called as abc.txt in my directory.. but it throws a variable syntax error

---------- Post updated at 11:31 AM ---------- Previous update was at 11:28 AM ----------

my actual need is I should have a script which should call a script 1.sc and when it is success it should call 2.sc and when then so on .. the 2nd script should not run unless 1.sh is completed.
I tried using ps -ef | grep scriptname | awk '{print $2}' , but it always returns some PID . so i tried using echo $? .. please corrct me if my logic is wrong ..

Hi.

In the real csh, not tcsh, you probably need to use $status, not $?

This is just one of the many reasons that most people use and recommend Bourne shells (sh, ksh, bash, zsh) for scripting.

Best wishes ... cheers, drl

thanks a lot drl .. it worked great .. you have any comments about my logic ??
can u pls throw me some light over that if possible

Hi,

To be sure to avoid running Script #2 before the #1 is done, you can try using lock file.
You may also want to chain your scripts with a success condition, would look like (in bash) :

Code:

script1.bash && script2.bash && script3.bash

A a side thought my first advice would be : avoid using csh, there are quite some good reasons no to use it , but sometimes, one do not have the choice....

Code:

script1.bash && script2.bash && script3.bash

is short for

Code:

script1.bash
if ($status == 0) script2.bash
if ($status == 0) script3.bash

in csh.
Or in sh

Code:

#var=value
script1.bash
[ $? = 0 ] && script2.bash
[ $? = 0 ] && script3.bash

The shell by default waits until a command exits.