How to write a script which works with or without arguments?
Several ways; the two most obvious are:
- Put
$1
in double quotes:if [ "$1" = "--test" ]
- Check for number of arguments using $#
Better yet, use getopts.
You need to quote your variables inside the if condition. Replace:
if [ $1 = "--test" ] || [ $1 = "-t" ]; then
with:
if [ "$1" = '--test' ] || [ "$1" = '-t' ]; then
Then it will work:
➜ ~ ./test.sh
Not testing.
Always always double quote your variables!
You're using bash. Bash has a great alternative to [
: [[
. With [[
, you don't have to worry whether about quoting, and you get a lot more operators than [
, including proper support for ||
:
if [[ $1 = "--test" || $1 = "-t" ]]
then
echo "Testing..."
testing="y"
else
testing="n"
echo "Not testing."
fi
Or you can use regular expressions:
if [[ $1 =~ ^(--test|-t) ]]
then
echo "Testing..."
testing="y"
else
testing="n"
echo "Not testing."
fi
Of course, proper quoting should always be done, but there's no reason to stick with [
when using bash.