ULI101: INTRODUCTION TO UNIX / LINUX AND THE INTERNET
WEEK 9 LESSON 1
INTRODUCTION TO SHELL SCRIPTING /
CREATING SHELL SCRIPTS
SHELL VARIABLES
PHOTOS AND ICONS USED IN THIS SLIDE SHOW ARE LICENSED UNDER CC BY-SA
LESSON 1 TOPICS
Shell Scripts
• Purpose
• Considerations When Creating Shell Scripts
• Creating Shell Scripts
Shell Variables
• Purpose
• Environment Variables
• User Defined Variables
Perform Week 10 Tutorial
• Investigation 1
• Review Questions (Questions xx - xx)
SHELL SCRIPTING
Definition
A shell script is a computer program designed to be run by
the Unix shell, a command-line interpreter. The various dialects
of shell scripts are considered to be scripting languages.
Typical operations performed by shell scripts include
file manipulation, program execution, and printing text.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_script
SHELL SCRIPTING
Considerations When Creating Shell Scripts
The reason to create shell scripts is to automate the
execution of commonly issued Linux commands and tasks.
Prior to simply placing Linux commands in a file to run, you
should plan-out the purpose of the shell script and list the
steps that you want to accomplish. This will help to lists the
sequence of steps required to ensure that your shell script
is successful
SHELL SCRIPTING
Creating a Shell Script
Once you have planned your shell script by listing the
sequence of steps in your script, you need to create a file
that will contain your Linux commands.
NOTE: Avoid using filenames of already existing Linux
Commands to avoid confusion. Using shell script filenames
that include the file extension of the shell that the script will
run within is recommended.
Examples:
clean-directory.bash
copy-directory-structure.sh
SHELL SCRIPTING
Creating a Shell Script
The Shebang Line
If you are learning Bash scripting by reading other people’s code
you might have noticed that the first line in the scripts starts with
the #! characters and the path to the Bash interpreter.
This sequence of characters (#!) is called shebang and is used to
tell the operating system which interpreter to use to parse the rest
of the file.
Reference: https://linuxize.com/post/bash-shebang/
SHELL SCRIPTING
Creating a Shell Script
Examples of Shebang Line
#!/bin/bash
#!/bin/csh
You can use the which command to determine the full pathname
of the shell. For example: which bash
The shebang line must appear on the first line and at the beginning
of the shell script, otherwise, it will be treated as a regular comment
and ignored.
SHELL SCRIPTING
Creating a Shell Script
Displaying Text: The echo Statement
The echo command is used to display text.
Example:
echo This is some text
SHELL SCRIPTING
Creating a Shell Script
Prompting User Input: The read Statement
The read command pauses and waits for a user to
enter data and then stores into a variable when the
user presses the ENTER key.
Example:
read –p “Enter your name: ”
age echo “Your age is $age”
Note: Placing a dollar sign ($) in front of variable
name expands the value stored in the varaiable.
SHELL SCRIPTING
Creating a Shell Script
Setting Script Permissions & Running Script
To run your shell script by name, you need to assign execute
permissions for the user. To run the shell script, you can execute
it using a relative, absolute, or relative-to-home pathname
You can run a shell script that does not have permissions by issuing
Example: the shell command with the shell script as an argument.
chmod u+x myscript.bash Example:
./myscript.bash bash ./myscript.bash
/home/username/myscript.bash
You can add the directory that contains the shell script so it can be issued
~/myscript.bash by just name and not pathname by adding the directory pathname into the
PATH environment variable
Example:
PATH=$PATH:directory-pathname
SHELL SCRIPTING
Creating Shell Scripts
Instructor Demonstration
Task1:
Create a Bash Shell script to clear the screen and then display all
users that are logged onto the system.
Task2:
Create a Bash Shell script to clear the screen, prompt the user for
their full name, and then display the text message:
Hello, your name is (your full name)
SHELL SCRIPTING
Using Variables
Variables are used to store information to be referenced and
manipulated in a computer program. They also provide a way
of labeling data with a descriptive name, so our programs can
be understood more clearly by the reader and ourselves.
It is helpful to think of variables as containers that hold
information. Their sole purpose is to label and store data in
memory. This data can then be used throughout your program.
Reference: https://launchschool.com/books/ruby/read/variables
SHELL SCRIPTING
Using Variables
Shell variables are classified in 2 groups:
System (shell) variables: describing the working environment
User-created variables: associated with scripts
Variables can be read/write or read-only
The name of a variable can be any sequence of letters and numbers,
but it must NOT start with a number
SHELL SCRIPTING
Environment Variables
Shell environment variables shape the working environment whenever you are logged
in Common shell. Some of these variables are displayed in the table below (you can
issue the pipeline command set | more to view all variables)
Variable Name Purpose
PS1 Primary shell prompt
PWD Absolute path of present working directory
HOME Absolute path to user's home
PATH List of directories where commands / programs are located
HOST Host name of the computer
USER Name of the user logged in
SHELL Name (type) of current shell used
SHELL SCRIPTING
Environment Variables
Placing a dollar sign ($) prior to the variable name
will cause the variable to expand to the value
contained in the variable.
Examples:
echo “My current location is:
$PWD” who | grep $USER
echo $HOST
SHELL SCRIPTING
The PATH Environment Variable
PATH is an environment variable present in Unix/Linux operating
systems, listing directories where executable programs are located.
Multiple entries are separated by a colon (:)
The shell searches these directories whenever a command is invoked
in the sequence listed. In case of multiple matches use the which utility
to determine which match has a precedence
On some systems the present working directory may not be included
in the PATH by default
To run shell scripts the user can issue using the ./ prefix or the
user can modify the PATH variable if they want to issue the shell
script without the ./ prefix.
SHELL SCRIPTING
User Defined (Created) Variables
User-defined variables are variables which can
be created by the user and exist in the session.
This means that no one can access user-defined
variables that have been set by another user, and when
the session is closed these variables expire.
Reference: https://mariadb.com/kb/en/user-defined-variables/
SHELL SCRIPTING
User Defined Variables
Assigning a Value to a User Defined Variable:
name=value
If a variable’s value contains spaces or tabs, they should
be surrounded by quotes
Example:
phone="1 800 123-4567"
SHELL SCRIPTING
User Defined Variables
Removing a Value from a User Defined Variable:
name=
OR
unset name
Examples:
customerName=
unset userAge
SHELL SCRIPTING
User Defined (Created) Variables
Including the keyword readonly before the command assignment prevents you
from changing the variable afterwards
Examples:
name=“Murray Saul”
readonly name
readonly phone="123-4567"
If no variable name is supplied a list of defined read only variables will be displayed.
NOTE: Read-only variables cannot be removed – you must log out for them to
be cleared
SHELL SCRIPTING
Getting Practice
To get practice to help perform assignment #3, perform Week 10 Tutorial:
• INVESTIGATION 1
• LINUX PRACTICE QUESTIONS (Questions xx – xx)
ULI101: INTRODUCTION TO UNIX / LINUX AND THE INTERNET
WEEK 9: LESSON 2
POSITIONAL PARAMETERS
TEST STATEMENT / CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS (LOGIC / LOOPS)
PHOTOS AND ICONS USED IN THIS SLIDE SHOW ARE LICENSED UNDER CC BY-SA
LESSON 2 TOPICS
Positional Parameters
• Purpose
• Usage
Control Flow Statements
• Purpose
• Exit Status $? / Using the test statement
• Control Flow Statements (Conditionals, Loops)
Perform Week 10 Tutorial
• Investigation 2
• Review Questions (Questions xx – xx)
POSITIONAL PARAMETERS
arg1 arg2 arg3 … argN
A positional parameter is a variable within a shell program;
its value is set from an argument specified on the command
line that invokes the program.
Positional parameters are numbered and are referred
to with a preceding ``$'': $1, $2, $3, and so on.
Reference: http://osr600doc.xinuos.com/en/SDK_tools/_Positional_Parameters.html
POSITIONAL PARAMETERS
arg1 arg2 arg3 … argN
Assigning Values as Positional Parameters
There are a few ways to assign values as positional parameters:
• Use the set command with the values as argument after the
set command
• Run a shell script containing arguments
POSITIONAL PARAMETERS
arg1 arg2 arg3 … argN
Using the set command:
set apples oranges bananas
You place a dollar sign ($) prior to the number
corresponding to the position of the argument
Examples:
echo $1
echo $2
echo $3
POSITIONAL PARAMETERS
arg1 arg2 arg3 … argN
Running a Shell Script with Arguments:
You would use positional parameters in your shell script that would
expand the positional parament with its stored value.
Here are the contents of the shell script called myScript.bash:
#!/bin/bash
echo “First argument is $1”
echo “Second argument is $2”
You would then issue the myScript.bash shell script with
arguments that would be used within the shell script. For Example:
./mySript.bash My-First-Argument My-Second-Argument
POSITIONAL PARAMETERS
arg1 arg2 arg3 … argN
Command line parameters are referred to as $0…$9
The positional parameter $0 refers to either the name of shell where
command was issued, or name of shell script being executed.
If using positional parameters greater than 9, then you need to include
number within braces.
Examples:
echo ${10}
ls ${23}
POSITIONAL PARAMETERS
arg1 arg2 arg3 … argN
The shift command can be used with positional
parameters to shift positional parameters to the left
by one or more positions.
Examples:
shift
shift 2
SPECIAL PARAMETERS
$* $# $?
There are a group of special parameters that can be used for
shell scripting. A few of these special parameters and their
purpose are displayed in the table below.
Parameter Purpose
$* Display all positional parameters.
“$*” Containing values of all arguments separated by a single space
“$@” Multiple double-quoted strings, each containing the value of
one argument
$# Represents the number of parameters
(not including the script name)
$? Exit Status of previous command (discussed in next lesson)
POSITIONAL AND SPECIAL PARAMETERS
Positional and Special Parameters
Instructor Demonstration
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
So far, we have created Bash Shell Scripts that executed
Linux commands in a fixed sequence.
Although those type of scripts can be useful, we can use
control flow statements that will control the sequence of
the running script based on various situations or conditions.
Control Flow Statement are used to make your shell
scripts more flexible and can adapt to changing situations.
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
The “$?” Special Parameter
The special parameter $? Is used to determine the exit status of
the previously issued Linux command.
The exit status will either display a zero (representing TRUE) or a non-
zero number (representing FALSE). This can be used to determined if
a Linux command was correctly or incorrectly executed.
Examples:
PWD
echo $?
pwd
echo $?
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
The test Linux Command
The test Linux command is used to test conditions to see if they
are TRUE (i.e. value zero) or FALSE (i.e. value non-zero)
so they can be used with control flow statements to control
the sequence of a shell script.
Examples:
name=“Murray”
test $name = “Murray”
echo $?
test $name = “David”
echo $?
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
The test Linux Command – Numerical Comparison
You CANNOT use the > or < symbols when using the test
command since these are redirection symbols. Instead, you
need to use options when performing numerical comparisons.
Refer to the table below for test options and their purposes.
Option Purpose
-eq Equal to
-ne Not equal to
-lt , -le Less than, Less than or equal to
-gt, -ge Greater than, greater than or equal to
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
The test Linux Command – Additional Options
There are other comparison options that can be used with the
test command such as testing to see if a regular file or directory
pathname exists, or if the regular file pathname is –non-empty.
Below are some of those options.
Option Purpose
-f file_pathname Regular filename exists
-d file_pathname Directory filename exists
-s file_pathname Regular filename is non-empty
-w file_pathname file exists / write permission is granted
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
Logic Statements
A logic statement is used to determine which Linux
commands to be executed based on the result of a condition
(i.e. TRUE (zero value) or FALSE (non-zero value)).
There are several logic statements, but we will just
concentrate on the if statement.
if test condition
then
command(s)
fi
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
Logic Statements
If the test condition returns a TRUE value,
then the Linux Commands between then
and fi statements are executed.
If the test returns a FALSE value, then the
if statement is bypassed.
Example:
num1=5
num2=10
if test $num1 –lt $num2
then
echo “Less Than”
fi
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
Logic Statements
The set of square brackets [ ] can be used to
represent the test command.
NOTE: There must be spaces between the
square brackets and the test condition.
Example:
num1=5
num2=10
if [ $num1 –lt $num2 ]
then
echo “Less Than”
fi
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
Loop Statements
A loop statement is a series of steps or sequence of
statements executed repeatedly zero or more times
satisfying the given condition is satisfied.
Reference:
https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/definitions/loop-statement-3
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
There are several loops, but we will look at the loop
for using a list.
for item in list
Variable "item" will hold one item from the
do list every time the loop iterates (repeats).
command(s) A list can consist of a series of arguments
(separated by spaces) or supplied by a command
done
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
Example:
for x in apples oranges
bananas do
echo “The item is: $x”
done
CONTROL FLOW STATEMENTS
Instructor Demonstration
Your instructor will demonstrate examples of
using control flow statements.
REGULAR EXPRESSIONS
Getting Practice
To get practice to help perform assignment #2, perform Week 10 Tutorial:
• INVESTIGATION 2
• LINUX PRACTICE QUESTIONS (Questions xx – xx)
