5

The script executes on a Mac machine and creates the output file, although on an Ubuntu machine it generates error message. Bash shell is used on both instances.:

1 - /var
2 - /etc : 
1
: bad variable name: read: word
first_part(1).sh: 6: first_part(1).sh: Syntax error: newline unexpected (expecting ")")

-

echo "To scan through the directories /var and /etc type 1 or 2: "
echo "1 - /var"
echo "2 - /etc : "
read word
case $word in
         1)
                find /var -type d -follow -ls | awk '{print $3, $5, $6, $11}' > var.txt
                echo "Your file containing /var information has been created."
                ;;
         2)
                find /etc -type d -follow -ls | awk '{print $3, $5, $6, $11}' > etc.txt
                echo "Your file containing /etc information has been created."
                ;;
         *)
                echo "Please insert a valid input"
                continue
                ;;

esac
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2
  • How do you execute the file? bash filename? Commented Nov 6, 2014 at 11:37
  • sh filename.sh Commented Nov 6, 2014 at 11:53

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
8

If you execute the file by using sh filename.sh, then one problem is that, on your Ubuntu system, this might not execute bash but some other shell. On my Ubuntu 12.04 system sh is /bin/sh and is soft linked to /bin/dash (with a d; see "Dash as /bin/sh").

You should use bash filename.sh, or use a shebang line and make the file executable (chmod +x filename.sh).

#!/bin/bash
echo "To scan through the directories /var and /etc type 1 or 2: "
echo "1 - /var"
.
.

One thing to check when moving files from Mac to Ubuntu are the newlines of the file (use od -c file_name), if there are '\r' characters in the output, but not \n you have to convert e.g. using:

tr '\r' '\n' < file_name > new_file_name.

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13
  • :~/Desktop# bash first_part(1).sh To scan through the directories /var and /etc type 1 or 2: 1 - /var 2 - /etc : ': not a valid identifier read: word first_part(1).sh: line 6: syntax error near unexpected token newline' 'irst_part(1).sh: line 6: `case $word in That just executes the file without giving me any option to enter. Commented Nov 6, 2014 at 11:57
  • 2
    As you can see - your formatted text looks awful in comments! It's far better to edit your post instead. Commented Nov 6, 2014 at 11:59
  • 2
    @nicoX I suggest you make a new question, state the versions of bash there and the difference in result on the script you provided, including a properly formatted error message. I think you might have an end-of line issue here. So also give the output from od -c filename.sh | head -10 in that new question. Commented Nov 6, 2014 at 12:13
  • 1
    @nicoX use od -c on both files, I bet you the end-of-lines differ ( '\n' for the new one probably `\r' for the old one ). If that is so, what editor did you use on the Mac? Commented Nov 6, 2014 at 12:48
  • 1
    I have updated the answer, so future visitors don't have to wade through this comments. If this solves your problem is there a chance you'll accept this answer? Commented Nov 6, 2014 at 13:13
0

Another couple of alternatives to:

sh filename.sh

are

source filename.sh

and

. filename.sh

I switch between Ubuntu and OSX several times a day and share my dotfiles and this seems to work for me.

fyi for OSX specific stuff I put it in .bash_profile and then that source's .bashrc which has stuff which is common to both systems.

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