UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hey!

This is my first post on this forum, nice to meet ya!

I've been using Linux for a good few years, I grew up using DOS and a few similar CLI-based OS's so I'm fairly okay with navigating my way around the terminal. Recently I decided I wanted to become a sysadmin so I've been teaching myself Unix from this huge book (still only 60~ pages in, mind).

This is my first time trying to write a shell script and I've already become stumped. I want to write a simple command that would copy a file I choose to my Dropbox folder. This is what I've written so far:

Code:

#
# My first script, designed to copy a file to my Dropbox!
#

clear
echo "Copying file to Dropbox."
cp [file] /usr/Richard/Dropbox/Copied_Stuff
echo "Copying completed."
exit 0

Obviously, [file] is meant to be the file I want to copy over but I can't for the life of me figure out what the command is to make it what file I want.

I know if it was just a simple command it would be:

Code:

cp helloworld.txt /usr/Richard/Dropbox/Copied_Stuff

But what if I want to make my own command (say call it "dbox") so it's like:

Code:

dbox helloworld.txt

Any help for this newb is appreciated.

echo "Please Enter File if copy"
read FILE

#check if file exists first
if [ -e ${FILE} ]; then
cp ${FILE} /usr/Richard/Dropbox/Copied_Stuff
fi


Is this what your after?

Thanks, sir! I've fiddled with it a bit to make it echo a confirmation/failure but it works like a charm! Thanks!

Would you mind helping me install it as a command? I can get it to run if I'm in the dir the script is in but I want to be able to use it anywhere without having to type ./dbox.sh

Im guessing the easiest way would be to put the dbox.sh script in /usr/bin

Assuming that the file is always being copied to the same location your script would then do something like this..

run script -> dbox helloworld.txt (without the ./)

script->

cp ${1} /usr/Richard/Dropbox/Copied_Stuff