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 Forum index » Off-Topic Area » Programming
[: too many arguments [SOLVED]
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Argolance


Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 3255
Location: PORT-BRILLET (Mayenne - France)
PostPosted: Thu 18 Apr 2013, 04:56    Post subject:  [: too many arguments [SOLVED]  
Bonjour,
Sometimes, but not always Shocked , xerrs.log returns:
Quote:
myscript.sh: line xx: [: too many arguments

... in this case for example, where the script verify if /root/Desktop directory exists or not and create it if not:
Code:
if [ ! -d /root/Desktop ]; then
mkdir /root/Desktop
Xdialog --title "xxxx" --icon /usr/local/lib/X11/pixmaps/question.png --msgbox "xxxxx" 0 0
fi

This works but I would like to understand what's wrong or seems to be so.

Thank you!

Cordialement.
Last edited by Argolance on Thu 18 Apr 2013, 08:44; edited 1 time in total
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L18L

Joined: 19 Jun 2010
Posts: 3431
Location: www.eussenheim.de/
PostPosted: Thu 18 Apr 2013, 05:36    Post subject: [: too many arguments
Subject description: too less info		  
Bonjour Argolance,
I have been trying to understand how to help you but no success so far Embarassed
Please post a concrete example of
error wrote:
: [: too many arguments

Cordialment Wink
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Argolance


Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 3255
Location: PORT-BRILLET (Mayenne - France)
PostPosted: Thu 18 Apr 2013, 07:16    Post subject:  
Hello L18L,
Thank you for replying.
I solved this issue by writing:
Code:
if [[ ! -f /root/Desktop/*.desktop ]]; then
But this is quite strange indeed, because my script has other conditional lines that are exactly built the same way... and xerrs.log doesn't complain! Shocked
Code:
if [ ! -d /root/Desktop ]; then
mkdir /root/Desktop
Xdialog --title "$(gettext 'Information')" --icon /usr/local/lib/X11/pixmaps/question.png --msgbox "$(gettext '"Desktop" directory, where wine copies
the desktop MENU entries files of its installed programs has been created!')" 0 0
else
echo "$(ls /root/Desktop/*.desktop)" > /root/test
fi
if [[ ! -f /root/Desktop/*.desktop ]]; then
Xdialog --title "$(gettext 'Information')" --icon /usr/local/lib/X11/pixmaps/info.png --msgbox "$(gettext '"Desktop" directory is empty and there are no desktop MENU entry file to modify/complete!')" 0 0
else
...
And the best is that this can change as I am building my script....
At the beginning, xerrs.log said nothing, suddenly complained about the first conditional lines, then the second and now, writing double "[", it is mute and happy! Very Happy
EDIT: ... But the first conditional lines doesn't work properly anymore! Embarassed

Cordialement.
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L18L

Joined: 19 Jun 2010
Posts: 3431
Location: www.eussenheim.de/
PostPosted: Thu 18 Apr 2013, 07:30    Post subject:  
So it is about diffrence of [ and [[ (one or two [)

I have no .desktop in my /root/Desktop an run your
# if [[ ! -f /root/Desktop/*.desktop ]]; then echo no;else echo yes; fi
no
#

changing to one [ :
# if [ ! -f /root/Desktop/*.desktop ]; then echo no;else echo yes; fi
bash: [: too many arguments
yes
#

Arrow Never ignore the error message, result is wrong if error Idea
Very Happy
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Karl Godt


Joined: 20 Jun 2010
Posts: 4208
Location: Kiel,Germany
PostPosted: Thu 18 Apr 2013, 08:11    Post subject:  
Code:
bash-3.00# [[ -f /usr/share/applications/*.desktop ]] && echo Y || echo N
N

Then use
Code:
[ "`ls -1 /usr/share/applications/*.desktop`" ] && echo Y || echo N


Note : If the variable may contain spaces, the "double quoting inside the single [ brackets are needed .
Note : I tend to quote them always, just in case - though it looks better in default geany .sh template without the double quotes.
Note : BK double quotes a lot of strings, where in 99% of the cases no double quotes are needed but tends to omit them many times in test lines .
Note : [ "$*" ] && ALL_PARAMETERS="$@"
Code:
function_test(){
[ "$@" ] && P1="$@"
[ "$*" ] && P2="$@"
[ "$*" ] && P3="$*"
echo "P1='$P1'"
echo "P2='$P2'"
echo "P3='$P3'"
}
function_test -d/dev/sdz99 --quiet "/path / to -f /filename"
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Argolance


Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 3255
Location: PORT-BRILLET (Mayenne - France)
PostPosted: Thu 18 Apr 2013, 08:44    Post subject:  
Thanks to both of you!

Cordialement.
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Bruce B

Joined: 18 May 2005
Posts: 11488
Location: The Peoples Republic of California
PostPosted: Thu 18 Apr 2013, 22:10    Post subject:  
I wrote the snippet below. If there are any .txt files in the current directory, the return code is 0. If not the return code is 1

The 2>/dev/null hides the text error output if no .txt files are found.

Code:
[ "`ls -la *.txt 2>/dev/null`" ] ; echo $?


Question: Maybe Karl or someone will explain to me why the quotes are necessary to make the [ test ] work properly. I mean, how or why do the quotes work?


TIA
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Ibidem

Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 553
Location: State of Jefferson
PostPosted: Fri 19 Apr 2013, 01:45    Post subject:  
Bruce B wrote:
I wrote the snippet below. If there are any .txt files in the current directory, the return code is 0. If not the return code is 1

The 2>/dev/null hides the text error output if no .txt files are found.

Code:
[ "`ls -la *.txt 2>/dev/null`" ] ; echo $?


Question: Maybe Karl or someone will explain to me why the quotes are necessary to make the [ test ] work properly. I mean, how or why do the quotes work?

Because if there is more than one parameter, test ([) assumes that it's supposed to have an option. The double quotes make test see all the output as one parameter.
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Karl Godt


Joined: 20 Jun 2010
Posts: 4208
Location: Kiel,Germany
PostPosted: Fri 19 Apr 2013, 05:54    Post subject:  
And it seems not to be because of just spaces but for the common IFS FileSeparator since ls -1 would use newline . Will test things with other IFS set .

The common file separator is " \t\n" .
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