"echo" usage

[Krishnan Viswanathan]

I am using "echo" command in my script to find out the return code.

Eg : cp -p dir1 dir2 |wc -l
echo $?

I have many cases where I need to used a pipe.

The second half after the pipe almost always succeeds, so the error code is always "0".(even if the first half fails). How I can find out if both sides of the pipe have succeeded or not ?

Thank you

Krishnan

[Steven Sim Kok Leong]

Hi,

Why not this:

#!/sbin/sh
if cp -p dir1 dir2 > /tmp/listing
then
echo "Copy is successful"
wc -l /tmp/listing
rm -f /tmp/listing
else
echo "Copy is unsuccessful"
fi

Hope this helps. Regards.

Steven Sim Kok Leong

[Steven Sim Kok Leong]

Hi,

If you insist on using a pipe, then:

#!/sbin/sh
if cp -p dir1 dir2 && cp -p dir1 dir2 | wc -l
then
echo "Both copy and wordcount are successful."
else
echo "Either copy (most likely) or wordcount is unsuccessful."
fi

Hope this helps. Regards.

Steven Sim Kok Leong

[Helen French · Accepted solution]

Hi Iyer,

Check this out:

http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0x569d8b55dfd6d4118fef0090279cd0f9,00.html

HTH,
Shiju