Why is ./ sometimes needed?


 
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# 1  
Old 01-29-2019
Why is ./ sometimes needed?

I typed Example 2-3 from Cooper`s Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide into my ~/bin, and it will only run if I include ./ before the filename. My other scripts in the same directory do not behave this way. $PATH includes ~/bin. I copied the file into /usr/local/bin, and it runs without ./ .
# 2  
Old 01-29-2019
./ is needed to run a script not contained in the PATH variable and located in the current directory.


look into the PATH-Variable and check if the directory of the script is really contained in it. Be aware to check for typos! This applys to all scripts in the same directory.
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# 3  
Old 01-29-2019
Some more info would be beneficial. For example:
- Is the script really located in ~/bin?
- Any error messages?
- Are the permissions set correctly?
- Does the script refuse to start, or does it fail somewhere in the middle? The -x (xtrace) option might help.
- Does it use a special interpreter / shell, not your default one?
- Do you have the "shebang" set?
- How does it differ from the scripts that do run?


Just to name a few...
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# 4  
Old 01-29-2019
Expanding a little bit on what stomp and RudiC have already said...

What modes are displayed for the files in ~/bin that run without ./ when you run the command:
Code:
ls -l ~/bin

What modes are displayed for the files in ~/bin that do not run without ./?

What other directories are in $PATH before ~/bin?

Do any of those directories contain a file with the same name as one of the files you are trying to execute?

Normally a shell will execute the first executable file found while going through the directories listed in $PATH in the order in which they appear in $PATH. Some shells will remember where they found an executable file on a previous search and won't look again unless a pathname that had been remembered stops working.

If an execute permission bit that allows you permission to execute it isn't set on a file that you're trying to execute, you usually won't be permitted to execute it by trying to run filename or by ./filename, but the command pathname_of_shell filename will work if filename is a valid script in the shell language recognized by the shell you're invoking with pathname_of_shell.
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# 5  
Old 01-29-2019
@stomp--I double-checked. The file in question is Cleanup2.
Code:
echo $PATH
/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin:/home/m*****/bin

Code:
~/bin$ ls
case4     counter    foo           lw2                     posit-params3
cleanup2  file_info  longest-word  old_sys_info_page       sys_info_page
cleanup3  file-info  lw            old_sys_info_page.html  sys_info_page.html

--- Post updated at 04:15 PM ---

@RudiC and @Don


the file is located in ~/bin (see above)


error message
Code:
~/bin$ sudo cleanup2
sudo: cleanup2: command not found

permissions
Code:
~/bin$ ls -l cleanup2
 -rwxr-xr-x 1 m***** m***** 459 Jan 28 15:07 cleanup2


~/bin$ ls -l cleanup3
-rwxr-xr-x 1 m***** m***** 2057 Jan 29 06:13 cleanup3

shebang
Code:
#!/bin/bash
   # Proper header for a Bash script

As far as differences, go, I can't find any. Cleanup3 runs fine, but Cleanup2 won't.
Don, I tried locate cleanup and found some other files containing that string, but they aren't in $PATH
# 6  
Old 01-29-2019
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xubuntu56
@stomp--I double-checked. The file in question is Cleanup2.
Code:
echo $PATH
/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin:/home/m*****/bin

Code:
~/bin$ ls
case4     counter    foo           lw2                     posit-params3
cleanup2  file_info  longest-word  old_sys_info_page       sys_info_page
cleanup3  file-info  lw            old_sys_info_page.html  sys_info_page.html

--- Post updated at 04:15 PM ---

@RudiC and @Don


the file is located in ~/bin (see above)


error message
Code:
~/bin$ sudo cleanup2
sudo: cleanup2: command not found

permissions
Code:
~/bin$ ls -l cleanup2
 -rwxr-xr-x 1 m***** m***** 459 Jan 28 15:07 cleanup2


~/bin$ ls -l cleanup3
-rwxr-xr-x 1 m***** m***** 2057 Jan 29 06:13 cleanup3

shebang
Code:
#!/bin/bash
   # Proper header for a Bash script

As far as differences, go, I can't find any. Cleanup3 runs fine, but Cleanup2 won't.
Don, I tried locate cleanup and found some other files containing that string, but they aren't in $PATH
Note that cleanup2 and cleanup3 are not the same as Cleanup2 and Cleanup3; case matters in the shell command language!

What output do you get from the commands:
Code:
od -bc ~/bin/cleanup2 | head -n 10
od -bc ~/bin/cleanup3 | head -n 10

This User Gave Thanks to Don Cragun For This Post:
# 7  
Old 01-29-2019
You didn't mention you're using sudo. The effective user (by default) is root, then. root's $PATH does NOT have ~/bin appended, or, if it has, it won't point to YOUR $HOME nad thus doesn't find cleanup2.

Does sudo cleanup3 run correctly?

Please make sure to post such important info in the first place in future!

Last edited by RudiC; 01-29-2019 at 01:40 PM..
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