Bash Guide For Beginners

Bash Guide for Beginners

Machtelt Garrels
Garrels BVBA

Version 1.11 Last updated 20081227 Edition

Bash Guide for Beginners

Table of Contents
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................1 1. Why thisguide?...................................................................................................................................1 2. Who should read this book? .................................................................................................................1 3. New versions, translations and availability.........................................................................................2 4. RevisionHistory..................................................................................................................................2 5. Contributions.......................................................................................................................................3 6.Feedback..............................................................................................................................................3 7. Copyright information.........................................................................................................................3 8. What do you need? ...............................................................................................................................4 9. Conventions used in thisdocument.....................................................................................................4 10. Organization of this document...........................................................................................................5 Chapter 1. Bash and Bash scripts ......................................................................................................................6 1.1. Common shellprograms...................................................................................................................6 1.1.1. General shell functions............................................................................................................6 1.1.2. Shelltypes...............................................................................................................................6 1.2. Advantages of the Bourne Again SHell............................................................................................7 1.2.1. Bash is the GNU shell.............................................................................................................7 1.2.2. Features only found in bash.....................................................................................................7 1.3. Executing commands......................................................................................................................12 1.3.1. General..................................................................................................................................12 1.3.2. Shell built-in commands........................................................................................................12 1.3.3. Executing programs from a script.........................................................................................13 1.4. Building blocks...............................................................................................................................13 1.4.1. Shell buildingblocks.............................................................................................................13 1.5. Developing good scripts.................................................................................................................15 1.5.1. Properties of good scripts......................................................................................................16 1.5.2....