this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
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Programming

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[–] [email protected] 60 points 1 year ago (5 children)
[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

This is the best way. It's also the way the Shellcheck ~~wants~~ sometimes recommends.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@bloopernova As you mention it, here the links for anyone interested: Online tool https://www.shellcheck.net/ and you can install it locally too https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck .

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

While this looks like a handy tool, it does make me think shell scripting itself needs a cleaner approach than what we have currently.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Oh! I didn't know that (um, obviously lol)

I'll edit my comment.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

This is the way

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I also do this so the variables are more easily spotted.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This has never stuck with me, and I hadn't thought about why until now. I have two reasons why I will always write ${x}_$y.z instead of ${x}_${y}.z:

  • Syntax highlighting and shellcheck have always caught the cases I need to add braces to prevent $x_ being expanded as ${x_}.
  • I write a lot of Zsh. In Zsh, braces are optional in way more cases. "$#array[3]" actually prints the length of the third item in array, rather than (Bash:) the number of positional parameters, then the string 'array[3]'.
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

@gamma I just use them out of consistency and principle, so I don't need to think in which case it is required or not.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I will always write ${x}_$y.z instead of ${x}_${y}.z:

The difference between the two seems different to what's in the OP. Is there a typo here?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

in the OP

My reply is to a commenter who said they prefer "${HOME}/docs" over both options in the original image ("$HOME/docs" or "$HOME"/docs). Many people prefer to always include braces around the parameter name out of consistency, instead of only when they are required.

My comment explained why my habit is to only include braces when they are necessary.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

This is the right way

[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 year ago (5 children)

find “$(echo $HOME > variable_holder.txt && cat variable_holder.txt)/$(cat alphabet.txt | grep “d”) $(cat alphabet.txt | grep “o”)$(cat alphabet.txt | grep “c”)$(cat alphabet.txt | grep “s”)”

This is the easiest method

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

when you're paid by character written

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

This really enterprises my bash.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

@ilega_dh You don't need cat in cases when grep "d" alphabet.txt can read from file too. Edit: But obviously your comment was more of a joke to over complicate it. So never mind then.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

To be safe, should probably output grep to a file, then cat that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Agreed. Everything in Linux is a file so let’s keep it that way.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

What should I search to better understand what is written here? Don't mind learning myself, just looking for the correct keywords. Thanks!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This comment is a joke and you wouldn't want to do it like that in reality, but here are some related keywords you could look up: "Unix cat", "Unix pipeline", "grep", "output redirection", "command substitution".

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Perfect, I have some light reading for the evening!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Read the Bash manual. That one patter on the GP is called "Command Substitution", you can search for it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago

First one, then the other, then I forget the quotes, then I put them in single quotes by accident, then I utilize that "default value" colon syntax in case I'm missing HOME , then I just stick to ~ for the rest of the file.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Typically find "$HOME/docs", but with a few caveats:

  • In Zsh or Fish, the quotes are unnecessary: find $HOME/docs

  • If I'm using anything potentially destructive: mv "${HOME:?}/bin" ...

  • Of course, if it's followed by a valid identifier character, I'll add braces: "${basename}_$num.txt"

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago