"GOTO" in a korn shell script

[Weary in West Chester]

Hello Gang,

I have a ksh script that has me stumped. I have added an "if-then-else-fi" around some existing code that used to all run unconditionally, and now I've created a problem. Can it be the here file ( << endofsort) causing the problem? As always, I appreciate your help. I haven't stumped you yet:-)

This is the block of code that has the problem:

if [[ $_pass1 = "1" ]]
then
syncsort 2>> testfile << endofsort
/infile pas1800.dbasub00 fixed 240
/infile ps2001p.p27510 fixed 240
/fields f1 1 131 character
/keys f1
/outfile pas1800.dbasub00.pass1.memo fixed 240
/statistics
/end
endofsort
export RTNCODE=`echo $?`
echo Return code is $RTNCODE >> testfile
case $RTNCODE in
0) ;;
*) echo $STEP TERMINATED ABNORMALLY !!!!!!!!!! |tee -a testfile
echo Error Code $RTNCODE |tee -a testfile
exit $RTNCODE ;;
esac
#
else
cp pas1800.dbasub00 pas1800.dbasub00.pass1.memo

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi Weary:

Make sure that your 'endofsort' begins at the leftmost character (the first) on the line.

Regards!

...JRF...

[Rodney Hills]

I don't see "fi" to close the if-then block.

-- Rod Hills

[Weary in West Chester]

Gosh James, you're the best. That's all it was. We indented to make it "pretty". Well, so much for looking good. It's working fine now. Thanks so much.

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi (again) Weary:

/No_Points_Please/

I like pretty, rigourously indented code too, but this is one case where you have to abide by a "higher rule" :-)

Glad to have been of help.

Regards!

...JRF...

[Martin Robinson]

Although the normal '<< EOF' here-document insists that the ending token (EOF) is hard up against the left margin, the alternative form '<<- EOF' does not require this. But it will strip leading white space from your here document, which is why it works.

Example:
cat <<- EOF
hello 1
hello 2
EOF

produces
hello 1
hello 2

[Weary in West Chester]

Martin,

Thanks for the additional info. I checked the man page (ksh - TRU64 Unix) and found that the "-" just strips off tabs from the beginning of the here document and not all white space. With tabs, it works like a champ.

[Tom Danzig]

Martin stated that "the alternative form '<<- EOF' does not require this. But it will strip leading white space from your here document, which is why it works. "

Keep in mind that this works WITH TABS ONLY; not spaces.