Writing Shell Scripts: The Complete Guide To Linux System Administration

Chapter 14: Writing Shell Scripts
The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration
Objectives
Understand how shell scripts operate Collect user input and write to the screen from within a script Control command execution using tests and loops Debug shell scripts Understand other types of programming available on Linux
Scripting Basics
Shell script
Executable file Contains lines of text as would be entered at command line Executed like any other program Used on every Linux system
Scripting Basics (continued)

Shell script advantages
Can study what is happening on Linux system by viewing contents of scripts that control various system events Can change way anything on system occurs simply by altering relevant shell script
Interpreting and Compiling Programs

Two basic types of computer programs:
Interpreted programs Compiled programs
Computer language
Programming language Set of words and syntax rules Can be arranged in predefined ways to cause computer to perform tasks
Interpreting and Compiling Programs (continued)

Keywords
Words used in computer language
Source code
Human readable computer program written by programmer
Binary file
Executable file Source code converted to numeric code that computers CPU can process
The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration 6
Interpreting and Compiling Programs (continued)

Compiled language
Source code converted to binary file before program run by users
Interpreted language
Source code converted into numeric codes at instant user runs program
Shell script
Interpreted program
Understanding Programming Concepts

Computer program executed one command at a time Statement
Command within program
Programs define list of statements that are executed once, many times, or not at all depending on what happens at some other point in program
Understanding Programming Concepts (continued)

Statement block
Group of statements
Nesting
One statement block contains another statement block
Components of a Shell Script

Three basic rules:
First line must indicate name of shell used to interpret script
#!/bin/bash
File must have execute file permission set File must contain valid commands that interpreter can recognize
10
Components of a Shell Script (continued)

echo command
Prints text to STDOUT channel Example: echo hello world
Test new script

./testscript
11
Components of a Shell Script (continued)

Exit code
Numeric code returned by program on exit Variable $? used to reference code at command line or in script Value of 0 indicates no problems Nonzero value usually indicates some type of problem or error
12
Input and Output

read command
Causes shell to pause for user to enter information at keyboard Entered information assigned to variable provided with read command read THEFILE
Define variable by assigning value to name

MyFile="index.html"
13
Input and Output (continued)

Make sure scripts test validity of user values Use Linux redirection operators to change flow of information to and from commands Can use any Linux redirection operators Treat shell script as any regular Linux command
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Using Variables in Scripts

Shell variable
Variable used in shell script
Initialize variable
Assign initial value
Positional variable
Takes value based on information user includes on command line Indicate using dollar sign and number
$0 first variable on command line
Using Variables in Scripts (continued)

$# variable
Contains number of items on command line used to execute script
16
Conditional and Looping Structures

Selection statement
Determine which parts of program will execute according to values determined as program executes All lines in shell script not necessarily executed when script is run Most shell scripts include selection statements
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Conditional and Looping Structures (continued)
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Conditional and Looping Structures (continued)

Selection statement
Tests performed in shell scripts only have two possible outcomes:
True False
test command creates type of selection statement to determine if condition true or false
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Using if Statements
if command followed by then command
Lists commands to be executed if test succeeds
fi command
Marks end of if statement
Test succeeds
All commands between then and if executed
Test fails
No commands executed
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Using if Statements (continued)

test command
Evaluates parameters provided Returns either:
True, value of 1 False, value of 0
if-then-else statement
If test returns value of true
One set of commands executed
If test returns value of false

Another set of commands executed
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23

else command
Adds block of commands Only executed if test returns value of false
exit command
Stops execution of script immediately Returns exit code provided Avoid using exit within loop
24

Comment
Line within script not processed by shell Helps reader understand purpose of script Begins with hash mark #
elif keyword
Used in place of else when using if-then-else When first command in else block another if-thenelse statement
25

case statement
Specify number of possible values for variable Statement block executed for matching value Only one block executed
26
Adding Loops to a Script

Loop statement
Used to determine whether statement block executed more than once Parts:
Counting variable List of values List of statements
27
Adding Loops to a Script (continued)

for loop
Repeats statement block once for each item in list Syntax:
for <counting variable> in <list of items> do <statement block> done
28

Iteration
Each time through loop
$@ variable
Contains all parameters included on command line when script executed Used as <list of items> in for loop
29

while loop
Uses test like if-then statement As long as test returns value of true, statement block within loop executed As soon as test returns value of false, loop exits while loop syntax:
while <test> do <statement block> done

break command
Exit from loop completely
continue command
Skip immediately to next iteration
31
Using Functions in a Script

Function
Named small shell script Can be referenced from other locations
To define function:
Follow name with ( ) Statements enclosed in braces { } considered part of function
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Shell Script Debugging

Syntax error
Error in how statement is entered
Logic error
Error in what commands are trying to accomplish
Find and fix both types of errors

Use debugging features of shell
33
Shell Script Debugging (continued)

-n option
Check for syntax errors in script bash -n ./startnet Shell prints message when it finds syntax errors Does not actually execute any commands in script
-v option
Shell displays each line of script as it reads it
34
Using Shell Tracing

Shell trace
Displays each line of script on screen as it is executed Different from v option
Substitutes actual values for regular expressions and variables
Activated with -x option See if script is really using expected values
35
Debugging within a Script

set command with -x option
Turn on debugging within script Just at point where script appears to be working incorrectly
set -x commands to debug set +x
36
Other Programming Methods

Other types of scripts
Written using different computer languages Interpreted by different interpreters Specific syntax rules script must follow depend on interpreter
37
Other Scripting Languages

Different scripting languages used for different purposes By convention, scripts often use standardized file extensions to help users identify them perl programming language
Well suited to processing text strings Very popular as tool for managing data submitted by Web page forms
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Other Scripting Languages (continued)

Common Gateway Interface (CGI) uses standard input and output channels to permit communications between two programs Tcl/Tk scripting language
Stands for tool command language/toolkit Executed by interpreter called wish
39

Python scripting language uses same Tk graphical programming toolkit as Tcl
Object-oriented language
Parts of Python program can be reused in another program with minimal effort
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Compiled Languages
Linux kernel and utilities written using compiled languages Most widely used:
C C++
Collection of basic programming tools included with every Linux distribution
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Compiled Languages (continued)

Writing simple computer program not hard
Write in text editor Compile to executable Give execute permission
Quickly becomes much more complicated Libraries

Collections of functions
43

Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)
Powerful tools to create large complex software projects Integrated in single interface:
Text editor Compiler with tracking of compilers output Debugger Commonly needed documentation
Several free and commercial IDEs available

45

Rapid Application Development (RAD) simplifies development of complex software projects by:
Providing prewritten modules Tracking multiple parts of project Reusing parts of software you have written
46
Summary
Shell scripts
Execute complex set of commands by entering single script name Uses keywords from programming language
Environment and positional variables often referenced in scripts if-then-else statement tests condition and executes statements if condition is present
47
Summary (Continued)
Loops using for and while
Repeatedly execute statement block
Complex scripts make extensive use of functions Shell scripts can be debugged using shell options Many scripting languages used on Linux systems Linux includes support for many computer languages
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Chapter 14: Writing Shell Scripts

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Scripting Basics (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Interpreting and Compiling Programs

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Interpreting and Compiling Programs (continued)

Interpreting and Compiling Programs (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Understanding Programming Concepts

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Understanding Programming Concepts (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Components of a Shell Script

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Components of a Shell Script (continued)

Test new script

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Components of a Shell Script (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Input and Output

Define variable by assigning value to name

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Input and Output (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Using Variables in Scripts

Using Variables in Scripts (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Conditional and Looping Structures

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Conditional and Looping Structures (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Conditional and Looping Structures (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Using if Statements (continued)

If test returns value of false

Using if Statements (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Using if Statements (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Using if Statements (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Using if Statements (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Using if Statements (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Adding Loops to a Script

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Adding Loops to a Script (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Adding Loops to a Script (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Adding Loops to a Script (continued)

Adding Loops to a Script (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Using Functions in a Script

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Shell Script Debugging

Find and fix both types of errors