#!/bin/bash

if [ -z "$1" ]
then
  Filename=names.data          # Default, if no filename specified.
else
  Filename=$1
fi

line_count=`wc $Filename | awk '{ print $1 }'`
#           Number of lines in target file.
#
#  Very contrived and kludgy, nevertheless shows that
#+ it's possible to redirect stdin within a "for" loop...
#+ if you're clever enough.
#
# More concise is     line_count=$(wc -l < "$Filename")


for name in `seq $line_count`  # Recall that "seq" prints sequence of numbers.
# while [ "$name" != Smith ]   --   more complicated than a "while" loop   --
do
  read name                    # Reads from $Filename, rather than stdin.
  echo $name
  if [ "$name" = Smith ]       # Need all this extra baggage here.
  then
    break
  fi
done <"$Filename"              # Redirects stdin to file $Filename. 
#    ^^^^^^^^^^^^

exit 0
AskApache Web Development