How to compare two things in bash?

Question

I need to compare a to z.

if[$a -eq $z]
then echo "something"
else echo "nothing"
fi

What is wrong with this code?

Also: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4277665/how-do-i-compare-two-string-variables-in-an-if-statement-in-bash — Benjamin W., Nov 03 '16 at 21:03

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 03 '16 at 21:01

1

You need spaces to separate [ from the if command, and to separate it from its arguments.

if [ "$a" -eq "$z" ]

Note also that -eq is for comparing numeric values. If the variables contain strings, you should use =.

answered Nov 03 '16 at 21:01

Barmar

1 Answers1