Beginning Portable Shell Scripting

Portable shell scripting is the future of modern Linux, OS X, and Unix command–line access. Beginning Portable Shell Scripting: From Novice to Professional teaches shell scripting by using the common core of most shells and expands those principles to all of scripting. You will learn about portable scripting and how to use the same syntax and design principles for all shells. You’ll discover about the interaction between shells and other scripting languages like Ruby and Python, and everything you learn will be shown in context for Linux, OS X, bash, and AppleScript. What you’ll learn This book will prime you on not just shell scripting, but also the modern context of portable shell scripting. You will learn The core Linux/OS X shell constructs from a portability point of view How to write scripts that write other scripts, and how to write macros and debug them How to write and design shell script portably from the ground up How to use programmable utilities and their inherent portability to your advantage, while pinpointing potential traps Pulling everything together, how to engineer scripts that play well with Python and Ruby, and even run on embedded systems Who this book is for This book is for system administrators, programmers, and testers working across Linux, OS X, and the Unix command line. Table of Contents Introduction to Shell Scripting Patterns and Regular Expressions Basic Shell Scripting Core Shell Features Explained Shells Within Shells Invocation and Execution Shell Language Portability Utility Portability Bringing It All Together Shell Script Design Mixing and Matching

Covering all major platforms-Linux, Unix, Mac OS X, and Windows-this guide shows programmers and power users how to customize an operating system, automate commands, and simplify administration tasks using shell scripts Offers complete shell-scripting instructions, robust code examples, and full scripts for OS customization Covers shells as a user interface, basic scripting techniques, script editing and debugging, graphing data, and simplifying administrative tasks In addition to Unix and Linux scripting, the book covers the latest Windows scripting techniques and offers a complete tutorial on Mac OS X scripting, including detailed coverage of mobile file systems, legacy applications, Mac text editors, video captures, and the Mac OS X Open Scripting Architecture

The key to mastering any Unix system, especially Linux and Mac OS X, is a thorough knowledge of shell scripting. Scripting is a way to harness and customize the power of any Unix system, and it's an essential skill for any Unix users, including system administrators and professional OS X developers. But beneath this simple promise lies a treacherous ocean of variations in Unix commands and standards. bash Cookbook teaches shell scripting the way Unix masters practice the craft. It presents a variety of recipes and tricks for all levels of shell programmers so that anyone can become a proficient user of the most common Unix shell -- the bash shell -- and cygwin or other popular Unix emulation packages. Packed full of useful scripts, along with examples that explain how to create better scripts, this new cookbook gives professionals and power users everything they need to automate routine tasks and enable them to truly manage their systems -- rather than have their systems manage them.

Learn how to write shell script effectively with Bash, to quickly and easily write powerful scripts to manage processes, automate tasks, and to redirect and filter program input and output in useful and novel ways. Key FeaturesDemystify the Bash command lineWrite shell scripts safely and effectivelySpeed up and automate your daily workBook Description Bash and shell script programming is central to using Linux, but it has many peculiar properties that are hard to understand and unfamiliar to many programmers, with a lot of misleading and even risky information online. Bash Quick Start Guide tackles these problems head on, and shows you the best practices of shell script programming. This book teaches effective shell script programming with Bash, and is ideal for people who may have used its command line but never really learned it in depth. This book will show you how even simple programming constructs in the shell can speed up and automate any kind of daily command-line work. For people who need to use the command line regularly in their daily work, this book provides practical advice for using the command-line shell beyond merely typing or copy-pasting commands into the shell. Readers will learn techniques suitable for automating processes and controlling processes, on both servers and workstations, whether for single command lines or long and complex scripts. The book even includes information on configuring your own shell environment to suit your workflow, and provides a running start for interpreting Bash scripts written by others. What you will learnUnderstand where the Bash shell fits in the system administration and programming worldsUse the interactive Bash command line effectivelyGet to grips with the structure of a Bash command lineMaster pattern-matching and transforming text with BashFilter and redirect program input and outputWrite shell scripts safely and effectivelyWho this book is for People who use the command line on Unix and Linux servers already, but don't write primarily in Bash. This book is ideal for people who've been using a scripting language such as Python, JavaScript or PHP, and would like to understand and use Bash more effectively.

One element that the Korn shell does not contain is portability. Bruce Blinn focuses on shells that are portable, known as Bourne Shells. This practical book treats the shell like a programming language. Lists over 250 major shell examples.

Shell scripting skills never go out of style. It's the shell that unlocks the real potential of Unix. Shell scripting is essential for Unix users and system administrators-a way to quickly harness and customize the full power of any Unix system. With shell scripts, you can combine the fundamental Unix text and file processing commands to crunch data and automate repetitive tasks. But beneath this simple promise lies a treacherous ocean of variations in Unix commands and standards. Classic Shell Scripting is written to help you reliably navigate these tricky waters.Writing shell scripts requires more than just a knowledge of the shell language, it also requires familiarity with the individual Unix programs: why each one is there, how to use them by themselves, and in combination with the other programs. The authors are intimately familiar with the tips and tricks that can be used to create excellent scripts, as well as the traps that can make your best effort a bad shell script. With Classic Shell Scripting you'll avoid hours of wasted effort. You'll learn not only write useful shell scripts, but how to do it properly and portably.The ability to program and customize the shell quickly, reliably, and portably to get the best out of any individual system is an important skill for anyone operating and maintaining Unix or Linux systems. Classic Shell Scripting gives you everything you need to master these essential skills.

Master the complexities of Bash shell scripting and unlock the power of shell for your enterprise Key Features Identify high-level steps such as verifying user input Using the command line and conditional statements in creating/executing simple shell scripts Create and edit dynamic shell scripts to manage complex and repetitive tasks Leverage the command-line to bypass GUI and automate common tasks Book Description In this book, you’ll discover everything you need to know to master shell scripting and make informed choices about the elements you employ. Grab your favorite editor and start writing your best Bash scripts step by step. Get to grips with the fundamentals of creating and running a script in normal mode, and in debug mode. Learn about various conditional statements' code snippets, and realize the power of repetition and loops in your shell script. You will also learn to write complex shell scripts. This book will also deep dive into file system administration, directories, and system administration like networking, process management, user authentications, and package installation and regular expressions. Towards the end of the book, you will learn how to use Python as a BASH Scripting alternative. By the end of this book, you will know shell scripts at the snap of your fingers and will be able to automate and communicate with your system with keyboard expressions. What you will learn Make, execute, and debug your first Bash script Create interactive scripts that prompt for user input Foster menu structures for operators with little command-line experience Develop scripts that dynamically edit web configuration files to produce a new virtual host Write scripts that use AWK to search and reports on log files Draft effective scripts using functions as building blocks, reducing maintenance and build time Make informed choices by comparing different script languages such as Python with BASH Who this book is for If you are a Linux administrator or a system administrator and are interested in automating tasks in your daily lives, saving time and effort, this book is for you. Basic shell scripting and command-line experience will be required. Familiarity with the tasks you need to automate will be helpful.