Shell script:using a variable inside of a list

[Edward McCouch]

Hello all!

I am writing a simple shell script that creates directories using a "for i in $list" loop. I decided to get fancy and I want to pass a value into the list, but it isn't working. Can someone help me out? When the script gets to the variable, it doesn't read in the value, it just tries to create /fs/dir/${var} instead of /fs/dir/blah.

Here is a sample:

echo "What hostname?"
read myhost
list='fs1 fs2 fs2/dir fs2/dir/${myhost}'
for i in $list
do
echo "\tChecking /$i structure...."
if [ -e "/${i}" ]
then
echo "\t\t/${i} exists! Moving On!"
else
echo "\t\t/${i} does not exist! Creating..."
mkdir /${i}
fi
done

Operating system: HP-UX 11.i
Shell: posix

thanks is advance.
~Ed

[A. Clay Stephenson · Accepted solution]

Specify your list in double quotes rather than single quotes. Anything inside single quotes does not get expanded.

[A. Clay Stephenson]

Perhaps a better choice of words would be "instantiated" (to go from the abstract to the concrete) rather than "expanded" --- but you get the idea.

[RolandH]

Can it be that your qouting is wrong?

Use backqoutes or in your case doubleqoutes will work, too.

list="fs1 fs2 fs2/dir fs2/dir/${myhost}"

Roland

[Edward McCouch]

That worked! Thank you!