Unmatched '. error message when changing to csh...

[Javier_45]

Dear folks,
have any of you seen this error message?

whenever I change to c-shell, using csh
I get this

# csh
Unmatched '.

Everything seem to be okay, but I keep getting these messages whenever I change to the c-shell from any user.

It may be something with environment variables or the passwd file but I haven't seen anything wrong there. This system was just commisioned so I really don't know what has happened on it.

Any idea?
Many thanks

[RAC_1]

type csh. check what exactly you are executing. csh may be some script or may be actual csh shell.

[Javier_45]

Hi, thanks for answering me that fast.
If I type the full path to the binary file
I still get the same error with any user on the c-shell.

sewass1:/ (3) root% /bin/csh
Unmatched '.
sewass1:/ (1) root%
sewass1:/ (2) root% whereis csh
csh: /usr/bin/csh
# /usr/bin/csh
Unmatched '.
sewass1:/ (1) root% exit


Any other idea?

[RAC_1]

Patches. Did you apply all latest csh patches??

[Devender Khatana · Accepted solution]

Hi,

#file csh
csh: PA-RISC1.1 shared executable dynamically linked
#usr/bin>>ll csh
-r-xr-xr-x 1 bin bin 155648 Jun 21 2004 csh

Just a rare hit but check this as well. The executable version may be different depending upon the OS version.

HTH,
Devender

[Victor Fridyev]

Hi,

Look at cshrc and .login files in the homedir of the user, which runs csh.
Additionally please take into account that syntax of csh differs from sh.

HTH

[KRI]

Hi !

Verify files:

~/.cshrc
A csh script sourced (executed) at the beginning of execution by each shell.

~/.login
A csh script sourced (executed) by login shell, after .cshrc at login.

/etc/csh.login
A csh script sourced (executed) before ~/.cshrc and ~/.login when starting a csh login (analogous to /etc/profile in the Bourne shell).


Regards!
KRI

[Peter Nikitka]

Hi,

there is a syntax error in one of the init-files of csh.
Use this way to trace the settings (try all the files KRI told):
- start csh: csh
- set echo
- source ~/.cshrc
The last statement of the trace before the output "Unmatched ' " contains the command producing the error.
Edit this file and correct the statement.

mfG Peter

[Tor-Arne Nostdal]

As several have pinpointed, the error can be during initialisation of the csh shell.

the ~/.cshrc and ~/.login can contain the error.

You can suppress execution of your ~/.cshrc by executing: csh -f

If you do not get the error after executing this command, you will know that the error is in this specific file.


It may also be that you have some "global" settings in your: /etc/csh.login
This is executed before the user specific file(s)

/2r_arne

[Tor-Arne Nostdal]

--- yeah, and of course...The error :-)
is most likely that you have used a quote in a line which is unmatched.

I simulated the same error message by adding this line to my .cshrc file:
alias quote_err='

Since the error occure for all users, I would have checked the /etc/csh.login first.

Secondly, the error could have been copied to all users personal .cshrc file upon creation of the user. When you add a new user a template file (skeleton) is used.
See files in /etc/skel

/2r_arne

[Javier_45]

Thank you everybody for your help.,
it is now okay.

Brgs

[Peter Nikitka]

Hi,

you should do something for the statistics, your profile states:

I have assigned points to 0 of 19 responses to my questions.

mfG Peter

[vasushivram]

Hi Javier, 

How did you resolve the error "Unmatched "." when execute /bin/csh.

[root@localhost ~]# /bin/csh
Unmatched ".

[Dennis Handly]

> How did you resolve the error "Unmatched "."

As mentioned above, look at any recently changed files:  ~/.cshrc  ~/.login

And fix the syntax errors.

(The correct solution is to switch to ksh or Posix shell.  :-)