Shell Games

CLASS FILES:

Why SHELL Scripting?

Why Automate?

• reduce errors.
• Save Time.
• Eliminate 'Toil'.
• ...Fun.

Shell SCRIPTING VS the World

• *NIX-native Way to perform Actions
• Extends Naturally from shell commands
• 'Just Enough' Programming

Limitations

• BASH Syntax is Kinda Garbage
• Higher-Order Data Structures Are Cumbersome
• painful to debug/troubleshoot

OVERALL

• quick and dirty way to leverage unix tool philosophy
• Not a programming replacement

The Philosophy of Unix Tools

It's  All About the Pipe

EXERCISE

Swiss Army Knives VS ToolbOxes

• At Shell prompt: info coreutils
• /toolbox
• on 'Opening the Software Toolbox', hit enter.

Swiss Army Knives Vs Toolboxes, cont.

• Scroll down to Toolbox introduction
• Read until I/O Redirection
• Done!
• Let's Discuss

BAsh Scripting

Foundations

Basics of Shell Scripting

• Variables (user, environment, Built-In)
• operators
• Control Structures (if/THEN, While, For)
• functions

Dassit!