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Question about -n

 
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# 1  
Old 04-14-2011
Question about -n
Hello there,

New user/ poster that just joined, really quick question as I couldnt find it through the search function

In this script
Code:
echo -n "enter your username "
read username
if [ -n"$username" ]
then
  echo "Hello $username!"
  exit 0
else
  echo "You did not provide a vaild name!"
  exit 1
fi

What does the -n signify? Or what condition is it looking at in the "if" statement? Any insight would be helpful, thank you!
Last edited by Scott; 04-14-2011 at 05:48 PM.. Reason: Please use code tags
# 2  
Old 04-14-2011
man echo shows:

Quote:
-n Do not print the trailing newline character.
It's non-standard (any echo option is non-standard).

Use printf instead Smilie

---------- Post updated at 10:55 PM ---------- Previous update was at 10:47 PM ----------

Sorry, missed your second point.

From man test:
Quote:
-n string True if the length of string is nonzero.
Each command has its own options, and while they might be the same (like -n), their meaning depends on the command.
This User Gave Thanks to Scott For This Post:
kingpin007
# 3  
Old 04-14-2011
Ah okay, thanks! basically it doesnt go to a newline after the echo prompt. That man page helped, I just didnt know which one to pull up to search for it, thanks once again!
 
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