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Unix/Linux Shell Exercises

These are some easy-to-start-with examples in bash.

• Echo and read: Bash fun with children - New
• A short shell script reporting on disk usage, using simple shell redirection statements.
• Example of a case statement: setting your prompt sourcing a file.
• Discussion of a real life script using a couple of if statements and a case statement.
• Using read and while for your personal waiter/waitress, case statements combined.
• Repetitive renaming: for and if statements for all the boring jobs.
• If statements combined in a web server check script.
• Creating a simple init script with a start and stop function.
• Exercise on awk: converting text to DocBook XML.
• Setting access to the display: if/then/else construction.

More info in Bash for system administrators and power users. Complete reference: The Advanced Bash scripting guide.

This troubleshooting-shell-scripts-mini-guide will help you get over any stage fright for errors you may have. Don't fear them, just reading what the error message says is usually enough to find a solution.

Don't forget to chmod your scripts! ;-)