I'm having difficulty with a BASH script that I'm attempting to write.
I'm attempting to change directories to a path with a space in the name
and it appears that the spaces are being dropped.  Following is the
script:

#!/bin/bash
fileserver_path="/mnt/fs/Documents/DS\ -\ Datasheets/"

cd $fileserver_path

if [ "$?" != "0" ]; then
echo Cannot locate $fileserver_path
exit 1
fi

The following error occurs with this script:

./script: line 4: cd: /mnt/fs/Documents/DS\: No such file or directory

As you can see, the spaces are being ignored.  I've tried everything I
could think of to get it to stop ignoring the spaces; however, I've been
quite unsuccessful.

Can anybody please give me some advise?  I'm quite new to BASH
programming so it's quite possible that I'm going about this the wrong
way.  If I am, feel free to provide any advise.

Thank you advance,

--
Sean

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sean@mail.capitalgenomix.com wrote:
> I'm having difficulty with a BASH script that I'm attempting to write.
> I'm attempting to change directories to a path with a space in the name
> and it appears that the spaces are being dropped.  Following is the
> script:
>
> #!/bin/bash
> fileserver_path="/mnt/fs/Documents/DS\ -\ Datasheets/"
>
> cd $fileserver_path
>
> if [ "$?" != "0" ]; then
>   echo Cannot locate $fileserver_path
>   exit 1
> fi
>
> The following error occurs with this script:
>
> ./script: line 4: cd: /mnt/fs/Documents/DS\: No such file or directory
>
> As you can see, the spaces are being ignored.  I've tried everything I
> could think of to get it to stop ignoring the spaces; however, I've been
> quite unsuccessful.
>
> Can anybody please give me some advise?  I'm quite new to BASH
> programming so it's quite possible that I'm going about this the wrong
> way.  If I am, feel free to provide any advise.
>
> Thank you advance,
>
> --
> Sean

Does the following work for you?
cd "$fileserver_path"

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

sean@mail.capitalgenomix.com writes:

> Can anybody please give me some advise?

Read this: http://www.tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/quoting.html

> ing so it's quite possible that I'm going about this the wrong
> way.

You are. Here is your script fixed:

#!/bin/bash
fileserver_path="/mnt/fs/Documents/DS - Datasheets/"

cd "$fileserver_path"
if [ "$?" != "0" ]; then
echo Cannot locate \"$fileserver_path\"
exit 1
fi


Cheers,
--
In order to understand recursion you must first understand recursion.
Remove /-nsp/ for email.

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"shakahshakah@gmail.com" <shakahshakah@gmail.com> writes:

> sean@mail.capitalgenomix.com wrote: 
>
> Does the following work for you?
>   cd "$fileserver_path"

Always quote string with variables in them, no exceptions.  In this
case, you get a harmless failure.  Another time, you might end up
wiping out half your data by mistake.

--
Måns Rullgård
mru@inprovide.com

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

sean@mail.capitalgenomix.com wrote:
> #!/bin/bash
> fileserver_path="/mnt/fs/Documents/DS\ -\ Datasheets/"
>
> cd $fileserver_path

try this instead:

fileserver_path="/mnt/fs/Documents/DS - Datasheets/"

cd "$fileserver_path"


--
Hartmut Holzgraefe, Senior Support Engineer                            .
MySQL AB, www.mysql.com

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

In article <yw1xwtpgkbfa.fsf@ford.inprovide.com>,
examnotes  <mru@inprovide.com> wrote:
...
>Always quote string with variables in them, no exceptions.  In this

bash$ foo="echo this is a test"
bash$ $foo that proves that there are exceptions to every rule
this is a test that proves that there are exceptions to every rule
bash$

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

Kenny McCormack wrote:
> In article <yw1xwtpgkbfa.fsf@ford.inprovide.com>,
> examnotes  <mru@inprovide.com> wrote:
> ... 
>
> bash$ foo="echo this is a test"
> bash$ $foo that proves that there are exceptions to every rule
> this is a test that proves that there are exceptions to every rule
> bash$

:-)

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

shakahshakah@gmail.com wrote:
> Does the following work for you?
>   cd "$fileserver_path"
>

That worked perfectly.  Thank you!  And I also learned something new out
of this!

--
Sean

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Paul Pluzhnikov wrote:
> sean@mail.capitalgenomix.com writes:
>
> 
>
>
> Read this: http://www.tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/quoting.html

That's a great link.  Thanks for that!
 
>
>
> You are. Here is your script fixed:
>
>     #!/bin/bash
>     fileserver_path="/mnt/fs/Documents/DS - Datasheets/"
>
>     cd "$fileserver_path"
>     if [ "$?" != "0" ]; then
>       echo Cannot locate \"$fileserver_path\"
>       exit 1
>     fi

Funny how I tried so many different things; but never tried putting
quotes around the path on the cd line, as I always do in at a command
prompt.  Oh well; I'll know for next time.

Thank you for the info,

--
Sean

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