Building case menus and including entire scripts in case options.

Suppose you wanted to write a script where you gave the user the option
of choosing between two seperate scripts to run (that were too small to merit
a seperate file).

The first script alone, could read:
----------------------------------------
#!/bin/sh
## echo script

echo kkkkkkkkkkkk
echo kkkkkkkkkkkk
echo jjjjjjjjjjjj
---------------------------

and the second could look like:
-------------------------------------
#!/bin/sh
## head script

for file in `ls`
   do  head -2 $file
done
-----------------------------

The basic template is simple:

"option" )\
......................; \
......................; \
......................; \

;;

with the "..............."  representing each line in the script you
want to include.

When putting them in a case script, you need a ";"  wherever a newline
would be, and a "\" wherever a literal line ends in the case rendition.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

#!/bin/sh

clear  

# clears the screen first

echo
echo
echo
echo "[a]  Choose this execute echo script"
echo
echo "[b]  Choose this to execute head script "
echo
echo
echo

# the above part displays the choices on the screen with the lone "echo"s
# giving blank lines for formatting purposes.

read mm           # offers a prompt and takes input

# could be "abc" or "snort" instead of "mm"
# there must be no spaces after the "\"  below

case "$mm" in

"a" )\
echo kkkkkkkkkkkkk ; \
echo kkkkkkkkhhhhh ; \
echo jjjjjjjjjjjjj ; \

;;

"b" )\
for file in `ls` ;  \
 do   head -2  $file ; \
    done ; \

;;

*) echo "Not a valid option. Exiting." ; exit 1 \

;;

esac

exit 0

---------------------------------------------------------------------

# the *) just means "any other choices"

Alan C

--

   take control of your mailbox ----- elrav1 ----- http://www.**-**.com/

Why not just

"option") /bin/sh <<- EOF
        ...
        ...
        ...
        EOF
;;

--
Kevin Rodgers

If that's the case, why not make them functions? You can create
function libraries which would provide the same functionality for many
different scripts, and which would be much easier to maintain than
coding things inline in multiple scripts.

You only need the ';' if you use the '\'. You don't need the '\'.

Why not just

. function_library

a)
  a_function;;

b)
  another_function;;

*)
  emit_an_error;;

Joe