Directories with spaces in name - looking for help with questions in that issue
I need to work with 'nice' directory names which have some spaces in name, and that brings some questions and not-understanding.
Would some expert help me out how to deal with that?!
My task is to document some processing, running from some script. I do need to have spaces in directories names, and those directory dynamic - in term of depend on processing way.
My actions are:
1. check if directory exist
2. if not - create it
3. use it to copy file to it.
I make a function to check a directory. Generaly speacking, it's doing next:
Code:
make_sure_dir_exist() # checks if directory (first parameter) presented and, if not, create it
{
id1="=== $0.make_sure_dir_exist()==\n"
if [ -z $1 ]; then test_return 1 "$id1 ERR: called without the directory name (first argum)";
fi
dir="$*"
if [ -d ./"${dir}" ] ; then return 0;
else mkdir ./"${dir}"; test_return $? "$id1 ERR: Most likely 'dir' ( = $dir ) not appropriate for 'mkdir'"
fi;
## to remove dir with all contents : rm -R <dir_name>
} # end of the make_sure_dir_exist()
That works fine until the received directory is in one level. For 2 level unexistend dir it does not work.
I mean if received dir is "lev_1/lev_2/" and ./lev_1 does not exist, the "mkdir" has error.
I see a solution to parce the received dir by the '/' and check for every level and create it if nessesary.
Now I need to check those dirs for existance and mkdir if nessesary.
And here problems start!
First attempt is to use shell command inside the nawk block. So, instead of 'print curr' I would do some shell 'if..then..fi'
1. But how to pass the nawk variable to shell command? (this is first question)
Well, can't do from nawk, let nawk pass dirs out to shell, and process it outside of nawk.
I could use 'for .. in ..'
This way works fine untill spaces in dir-name.
Code:
dir="test/lev1/-3-lev2/-2-lev3 -"
for cdir in `echo $dir|nawk -F/ '{curr="";for (i=1;i<=NF;i++) { curr=curr$i"/"; print curr;}}'` ; do echo $cdir; done
src> for cdir in `ec $dir|nawk -F/ '{curr="";for (i=1;i<=NF;i++) { curr=curr$i"/"; print "\""curr"\"";}}'` ; do ec $cdir; done
"test/"
"test/lev1/"
"test/lev1/-3-lev2/"
"test/lev1/-3-lev2/-2-lev3
-/"
2. Here I do not understand why it is happend this way? Why double quotation treated as a part of the string, but not as an indicator of string beginning and end?,
This way it is working fine:
Code:
src> for cdir in "test/" "test/lev1/" "test/lev1/-3-lev2/" "test/lev1/-3-lev2/-2-lev3 -/" ; do ec $cdir; done
test/
test/lev1/
test/lev1/-3-lev2/
test/lev1/-3-lev2/-2-lev3 -/
To print it as one string does not halped also:
Code:
src> for cdir in `ec $dir|nawk -F/ '{curr="";for (i=1;i<=NF;i++) { curr=curr$i"/"; all=all" \""curr"\"";}} END{ print all; }'` ; do ec $cdir; done
"test/"
"test/lev1/"
"test/lev1/-3-lev2/"
"test/lev1/-3-lev2/-2-lev3
-/"
I've tryed to set array with dirs. Again the same result:
Could anyone give me some highlight why I could not get space processed as a part of string?
Also, I am out of idea how to be with the spaces in dir name.
I would appreciate any suggestions on this mater, also.
Last edited by alex_5161; 02-29-2008 at 04:16 PM..
...
Why not just use the -p flag to mkdir? Might save some effort...
Well, just because I did not know that!
Definitely, it is solution to that task! Thank you!
But raised questions still do not let me slip well (at work, at least )
- How to pass 'nawk' variables to a shell command, called inside of nawk?
- Why the double-quoted strings, produced by nawk are treated differently than the same string, typed in command line? (a space in double quoted string from nawk still processed as a word separator, and double-quotes are treated as a part of string, instead of as string boundaries.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smiling Dragon
I must confess, I stopped reading at the part where you talk about the need to make each level directory as you go.
...
I am agree, it is comes out as a big and uncomfortable to read post.
Later I will edit it to make shorter and more obvious in questions.
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