UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I have a script "abc.sh" in /tmp which has exit 0 as its last line

when I run this script from /tmp/xyz/def.sh script as

Code:

. ../abc.sh

then the script executes but the control doesn't return to def.sh script for subsequent commands in def.sh

but if I invoke the abc.sh from inside the def.sh as

Code:

../abc.sh

then the control

Also

if the def.sh script is in /tmp directory and I invoke the abc.sh script from def.sh script as

Code:

. ./abc.sh

then the control returns back to def.sh with out problems

isn't it strange?

I am trying to understand the script sourcing and this is breaking my head.

Please help

Thank you

No, it's doing exactly what it's told. "exit 0" terminates the process. When you call it ../abc.sh it is running as a child process and correctly terminates.

When you run it using . it runs in the same process and happily terminates that.

I am trying to figure out this sourcing stuff, but can't find documentation for it online.

Where does this look

. ../script.sh (parent directory?)

versus this

. ./script.sh (current directory?)

What does the initial '.' mean? Is it the command to look for something?

And is it possible to run a script that calls another script 2 directories above, but still refer to a child directory of the original one?

top directory
|
V
SBCS directory
|
V
Version directory (main script that calls generic script from top directory and needs to run stuff from Tar directory)
|
V
Tar directory (where untarred scripts/files are)