Pro Bash Programming, Second Edition : Scripting the GNU/Linux Shell

Front Matter....Pages i-xxiii Hello, World: Your First Shell Program....Pages 1-6 Input, Output, and Throughput....Pages 7-17 Looping and Branching....Pages 19-28 Command-Line Parsing and Expansion....Pages 29-41 Parameters and Variables....Pages 43-57 Shell Functions....Pages 59-67 String Manipulation....Pages 69-81 File Operations and Commands....Pages 83-99 Reserved Words and Built-In Commands....Pages 101-115 Writing Bug-Free Scripts and Debugging the Rest....Pages 117-128 Programming for the Command Line....Pages 129-144 Runtime Configuration....Pages 145-160 Data Processing....Pages 161-181 Scripting the Screen....Pages 183-193 Entry-Level Programming....Pages 195-207 Shell Variables....Pages 209-221 Back Matter....Pages 223-227 Hello, world! Your first shell program -- Input, output, and throughput -- Looping and branching -- Command-line parsing and expansion -- Parameters and variables -- Shell functions -- String manipulation -- File operations and commands -- Reserved words and built-in commands -- Writing bug-free scripts and debugging the rest -- Programming for the command line -- Runtime configuration -- Data processing -- Scripting the screen -- Entry-level programming.;Pro Bash Programming teaches you how to effectively utilize the Bash shell in your programming. The Bash shell is a complete programming language, not merely a glue to combine external Linux commands. By taking full advantage of Shell internals, Shell programs can perform as snappily as utilities written in C or other compiled languages. And you will see how, without assuming Unix lore, you can write professional Bash 4.3 programs through standard programming techniques. This second edition has updated for Bash 4.3, and many scripts have been rewritten to make them more idiomatically Bash, taking better advantage of features specific to Bash. It is easy to read, understand, and will teach you how to get to grips with Bash programming without drowning you in pages and pages of syntax. Using this book you will be able to use the shell efficiently, make scripts run faster using expansion and external commands, and understand how to overcome many common mistakes that cause scripts to fail. This book is perfect for all beginning Linux and Unix system administrators who want to be in full control of their systems, and really get to grips with Bash programming.