Error running shell script using bash and node.js

Question

I get the following error (error.message) when I run the following shell script (myscript.sh).

myscript.sh

#!/bin/bash
cd /path/to/ && node app.js

error.message

/path/to/myscript.sh: line 1: #!/bin/bash: No such file or directory

/path/to/myscript.sh: line 2: node: command not found

I have already run the following command line instructions.

command-line

chmod u+x /path/to/myscript.sh
chmod u+x /path/to/app.js

Also, I know I have node installed because when I run:

node -v

I get back:

v5.5.1

I execute myscript.sh via the following AppleScript:

MyApp.applescript

do shell script "bash /path/to/myscript.sh"

Also: which bash returns /bin/bash

What could be causing this error and how can I fix it?

what happens if you split `cd /path/to/ && node app.js` into 2 separate lines? — the_velour_fog, May 13 '16 at 05:17
your not trying to `source myscript` are you ?, you should execute it — the_velour_fog, May 13 '16 at 05:22
@the_velour_fog: I execute `myscript.sh` via the following AppleScript: `do shell script "bash /path/to/myscript.sh"`. (See above.) — Let Me Tink About It, May 13 '16 at 05:24
@the_velour_fog: What do you mean by "you should ***execute*** it?" How, specifically, do you recommend I do this? Is there a command line instruction you have in mind? — Let Me Tink About It, May 13 '16 at 05:26
Have you confirmed that 'bash' is actually installed in /bin and not something else like, e.g., dash? — , May 13 '16 at 05:33
Most of the time "#!/bin/bash: No such file or directory", message indicates that the script file encoding or line endings are wrong. Which editor are you using? — Kadir, May 13 '16 at 05:34
@nautical: How would I confirm that 'bash' is actually installed in /bin and not something else like, e.g., dash? — Let Me Tink About It, May 13 '16 at 05:37
@the_velour_fog: When I remove `#!bin/bash` I get the following error: `/usr/bin/cd: line 4: builtin: cd: not a shell builtin` — Let Me Tink About It, May 13 '16 at 05:39
@Mowzer to check and change the line endings of the script you can use `View->Line Endings->Unix` from the menu. — Kadir, May 13 '16 at 05:50
I'm betting Kadir is right. You will also probably need to put in the full path to node. — HeadCode, May 13 '16 at 05:53
@Kadir: I have the ***Unix*** option checked in my view > line endings menu. (Other options are ***Windows*** and ***Mac***). But I'm unclear what I should be looking for regarding ***line endings***. Could you please explain further or give an example? — Let Me Tink About It, May 13 '16 at 05:54
@HeadCode: Do you mean change `node app.js` to `node /path/to/app.js`? If that *is* what you meant, I tried it already and it didn't help. — Let Me Tink About It, May 13 '16 at 05:57
@Mowzer Unix/Linux and mac os x use LF (new line) but windows CRLF (Carriage Return) to indicate the end of each line in text files. If it is set uncorrectly that can cause unusual behavior when executing it. It seems like you have correct line endings. The last thing i can say give a try to check your file encoding to be UTF-8. — Kadir, May 13 '16 at 06:22

Let Me Tink About It · Answer 1 · 2016-05-13T07:21:56.870

0

I fixed the first error:

/path/to/myscript.sh: line 1: #!/bin/bash: No such file or directory

By copying a working .sh file I had on my machine and copy/pasting the code from the old file to the new file.

I'm guessing somehow there was a filetype issue or discrepancy despite the fact that I used a .sh extension in the file name.

In the future, I will double check the file type in my Finder utility (Max OS X v10.10.1).

However, I am still seeing the second error:

/path/to/myscript.sh: line 2: node: command not found

edited May 13 '16 at 07:21

answered May 13 '16 at 06:52

Let Me Tink About It

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Change line 2 to /path/to/node app.js – HeadCode May 13 '16 at 07:18
@HeadCode: Error: `No such file or directory` – Let Me Tink About It May 13 '16 at 07:28
2

You did change /path/to/node to the real path to node on your machine, right? – HeadCode May 13 '16 at 07:36
@HeadCode: Lol. Thanks for asking. Apparently, no, I did not. How would I find that? – Let Me Tink About It May 13 '16 at 07:52
@HeadCode: Oh wait. [I just read this SO answer](http://stackoverflow.com/a/18383601/1640892). So I ran `npm config get prefix` and got back a bunch of stuff. Included among it was this: `/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/npmlog/node_modules/are-we-there-yet/index.js:2:14` So I wonder what does that tell me? – Let Me Tink About It May 13 '16 at 07:57
1

`which node` should give you path to node binary file. – May 13 '16 at 08:19
@mh-cbon: Thanks. That worked! `which node` returned `/usr/local/bin/node`. Very clean. Very nice. – Let Me Tink About It May 13 '16 at 15:24
@HeadCode: FYI. Your suggestion worked. I found `/usr/local/bin/node` by running `which node`. – Let Me Tink About It May 13 '16 at 15:33

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered May 13 '16 at 16:07

Credit goes to @HeadCode and @mh-cbon for helping me figure this out with their comments.

I solved the second problem by running:

myshell.sh

#!/bin/bash
path/to/node path/to/app.js

where path/to/node was found by running

command-line

which node

and path/to/app.js is the actual file tree path to app.js. (In other words, different from path/to/node.)

Error running shell script using bash and node.js

2 Answers2