Bash Script with command line arguments which are files

Question

I am trying to write a bash script which takes a file as a command line argument and appends the name of that file, the number of lines and the last modified date to the file. I am confused over how to access that file from within the bash script and how the command line arguments behave within the script.

Here's my script so far:

#!/bin/bash

filename = $1
linecount = $(wc -l $1)
lastmod = $(date -r $1)
echo "$filename $linecount $lastmod" >> $1

I think I'm doing something wrong with the $1 references. Generally confused about how to manipulate a command line argument that is a file.

there should not be white spaces around the assigment =. In other words, filename=$1 — jpmuc, Jan 30 '13 at 20:34
Unless you want `linecount` to include the filename, use `linecount=$( wc -l < $1 )` — William Pursell, Jan 31 '13 at 09:15

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 30 '13 at 20:06

3

Remove the spaces around the equal signs. Assignments in shell scripts have to be mashed together like so:

filename=$1
linecount=$(wc -l $1)
lastmod=$(date -r $1)

answered Jan 30 '13 at 20:06

John Kugelman

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score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 30 '13 at 20:06

0

The positional arguments ($1, $2, ...) are the right method. You might run into problems with special characters (like space) and escaping, but otherwise your script should run fine.

answered Jan 30 '13 at 20:06

thiton

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Bash Script with command line arguments which are files

2 Answers2