#!/bin/bash # Exercising getopts and OPTIND # Script modified 10/09/03 at the suggestion of Bill Gradwohl. # Here we observe how 'getopts' processes command line arguments to script. # The arguments are parsed as "options" (flags) and associated arguments. # Try invoking this script with # 'scriptname -mn' # 'scriptname -oq qOption' (qOption can be some arbitrary string.) # 'scriptname -qXXX -r' # # 'scriptname -qr' - Unexpected result, takes "r" as the argument to option "q" # 'scriptname -q -r' - Unexpected result, same as above # 'scriptname -mnop -mnop' - Unexpected result # (OPTIND is unreliable at stating where an option came from). # # If an option expects an argument ("flag:"), then it will grab #+ whatever is next on the command line. NO_ARGS=0 E_OPTERROR=65 if [ $# -eq "$NO_ARGS" ] # Script invoked with no command-line args? then echo "Usage: `basename $0` options (-mnopqrs)" exit $E_OPTERROR # Exit and explain usage, if no argument(s) given. fi # Usage: scriptname -options # Note: dash (-) necessary while getopts ":mnopq:rs" Option do case $Option in m ) echo "Scenario #1: option -m- [OPTIND=${OPTIND}]";; n | o ) echo "Scenario #2: option -$Option- [OPTIND=${OPTIND}]";; p ) echo "Scenario #3: option -p- [OPTIND=${OPTIND}]";; q ) echo "Scenario #4: option -q-\ with argument \"$OPTARG\" [OPTIND=${OPTIND}]";; # Note that option 'q' must have an associated argument, #+ otherwise it falls through to the default. r | s ) echo "Scenario #5: option -$Option-";; * ) echo "Unimplemented option chosen.";; # DEFAULT esac done shift $(($OPTIND - 1)) # Decrements the argument pointer so it points to next argument. # $1 now references the first non option item supplied on the command line #+ if one exists. exit 0 # As Bill Gradwohl states, # "The getopts mechanism allows one to specify: scriptname -mnop -mnop #+ but there is no reliable way to differentiate what came from where #+ by using OPTIND."