Issue with shell scripts environment variable

[kaushikbr]

Hi All

I'm writing a script in which the command I need to run might change depending on certain conditions. Therefore I'm building the command line and saving this command in an environment variable, which I run at a later stage.

Something like RUN_CMD="ls -l | grep -v -E "total|SERVER" | cut -d' ' -f1|sort -r"

The command line is just an example, but I have to combine more than one commands using a pipe.

When I try to run this constructed command line, I get error messages like -v no such file etc.


|grep: unknown host name.
-v: unknown host name.
-E: unknown host name.
"HOST_NAME|host1|host2"|: unknown host name.
cut: unknown host name.
-d': unknown host name.
': unknown host name.
-f1|sort: unknown host name.
-r: unknown host name.

Thanks in advance for your suggetions.

Regards
Kaushik

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi:

First, use either double or single quotes *only* to surround the whole command:

# RUN_CMD="ls -l | grep -v -E "total|SERVER" | cut -d' ' -f1|sort -r"

Now, do:

# eval ${RUN_CMD}

Regards!

...JRF...

[kaushikbr]

Just had to stick a eval at the beginning of the variable while running the command

eval ${RUN{COMMAD}

Kaushik

[Dennis Handly]

>JRF: use either double or single quotes *only* to surround the whole command:

I assume this was an exercise for the user?
This works:
RUN_CMD="ls -l | grep -v -E 'total|SERVER' | cut -d' ' -f1 | sort -r"

[kaushikbr]

Hi

This is what I have done in my script.

RUN_CMD="ls -l ${CLUSTERS} | ${PATH_GREP} -v -E \"HOST_NAME | ${SERVER_MANAGER}\" | cut -d' ' -f1 | sort -r"
.
.
.
.
eval $RUN_CMD > ${TMP_FILE}

This worked.

JRF's suggestion to -
use either double or single quotes *only* to surround the whole command:

also worked.

#RUN_CMD="ls -l server02/ | grep -v -E 'total|SERVER' | cut -d' ' -f1|sort -r"

#eval $RUN_CMD

Once again thank you all for your suggestions.

Thanks and Regards
K