UNIX / LINUX Course – Shell Scripting

Is it right for me?

Familiarity with the Unix command line is required, and specifically familiarity with Unix commands for copying, removing, renaming and moving files and directories. Delegates should be comfortable editing files with vi (preferred), dtpad, or similar.

Delegates will learn and develop the skills needed to write shell scripts that can be used to extend the user environment, or to execute automatically various system administration activities.

What will I get out of it?

By the end of the course delegates will be able to:

• Describe the extent to which UNIX shell scripts can be used to extend and automate the functionality of the shell
• Configure the shell environment
• Create scripts that make use of variables and arrays
• Use file input and output
• Create scripts that can interact
• Use conditions and loops
• Develop robust scripts that have error traps
• Use Sed, Awk, and Nawk

What does it cover?

The shells

• Shell overview
• Types of shell
• Developing scripts
• Executing and debugging

Shell environment files

• profile
• kshrc
• root shell

Quotes and aliases

• Quotes
• Aliases

Variables

• Types and attributes
• Setting, displaying and un-setting
• Exporting
• Exit status
• Reserved variables
• Typesetting
• String manipulation
• Arithmetic
• Arrays
• Positional parameters

Interacting with scripts

• echo and read
• File input and output
• Here documents

Conditional constructs

• If, then elif, else
• Comparing numbers and strings
• Testing files and Boolean tests
• Nested ifs
• Case construct

Loops

• For loops
• Processing command line arguments
• Processing filenames
• Until
• While
• Continue and break

Select functions

• Function definition and scope
• Variable scope

Traps

• Signals
• Trap definitions
• Clearing traps

Regular expression review

• Metacharacters
• Selections and ranges
• Character escaping
• Command options

Sed

• Printing
• Deleting
• Inserting and appending
• Substituting

Awk and nawk

• Printing fields
• Formatting print output
• Conditions
• Awk files
• Begin and end
• Variables
• Loops