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Introduction
A loop is a set of repeated instructions until a specific condition is satisfied in computer programming. Let’s take an example. We want to perform an action, such as modifying a data set. To do so, we will write a function for this operation and put it inside a recurrence relation (here, a loop). This function will get repeated until the necessary condition of the loop is satisfied.
This article will discuss the until, select, and for loops in shell scripting. We will see syntax and examples for each type of loop.
So without further ado, let’s get started!
Until Loop
The while loop is ideal when you need to run a series of commands while a condition is true. Sometimes you must run a series of instructions until a specific condition is met. In these cases, we use another loop called the “until” loop.
Until loop is quite similar to a while loop, the main difference is that the while loops are intended to continue running while a condition is met and end when that condition returns false. Contrarily, until loops are intended to continue running even if the condition returns false and only end when the condition does.
Syntax and Example for Until Loop
Syntax for Until Loop
The syntax for the until loop is as follows:
until command
do
Statement(s) to be executed until the command is true
done
The Shell command is assessed here. The specified statement or statements are carried out if the outcome is false. The programme skips the statement and jumps to the next line following the done statement if the command returns true.
Example for Until Loop
#!/bin/sh
n=1
until [ ! $n -ge 10 ]
do
echo $n
n=`expr $n + 1`
done
Output:
Select Loop
The select construct allows us to generate some easy menus. So whenever we are required to generate some easy menus, then we generally use the select loop.
Syntax and Example for Select Loop
Syntax for Select Loop
The syntax for the select loop is as follows:
select var in i1 i2 ... iN
do
Statement(s) to be executed for every word.
done
Here, i1 to iN are string sequences of characters separated by spaces. The var is the name of a variable (words). The value of the variable var is changed to the following word in the list of words, word1 to wordN, each time the for loop runs.
Example for Select Loop
#!/bin/sh
select name in mark john tom ben
do
echo "$name selecte"
done
Output:
For Loop
In our discussion of loops in shell scripting, we will now discuss the for loops. The for loop controls the lists of items in the loop. Just like in other languages, the for loops repeat a set of conditions for every item in the list.
Syntax and Example for For Loop
Syntax of the for loop
The syntax of the for loop is as follows:
for var in i1 i2 ... iN
do
Statement(s) to be executed for every word.
done
Here, i1 to iN are string sequences of characters separated by spaces. Var is the name of a variable (words). The value of the variable var is changed to the following values in the list of values, i1 to iN, each time the for loop runs.
Example of the for loop
#!/bin/sh
for n in 1 2 3 4 5
do
echo $n
done
Output:
Syntax of the for loop to execute a command
The syntax of the for loop to execute some commands is as follows:
for command in (type the commands here)
do
Statement(s) to be executed for every word.
$command
done
The syntax to execute the command in for loop is very similar to what we had seen above. Here we type the command in the form of a list of commands. Here is a list of some basic commands that you should know.
Example of the for loop to execute a command
for command in ls pwd
do
echo"-----------------$command-----------------"
$command
done
Output:
Frequently Asked Questions
What differentiates a statement from a loop?
Similar to a while loop, a while statement will keep running until the condition becomes false. The loop's execution sequence is the only distinction.
Can the Do Until loop be empty?
A statement that can either be TRUE or FALSE is required for a do-until loop. In this instance, we're using the IsEmpty function, which tests a particular cell to see if it's empty and returns FALSE if it does. It returns TRUE if there is no value present.
What does the dollar sign ($) mean?
The preceding command's exit status is represented by the $ variable. Upon successful completion, every command returns a numerical number known as the exit status. The majority of commands typically return an exit status of 0 when successful and 1 when failed.
Conclusion
This article briefly discussed until, for and select loop in shell scripting. We discussed syntax and examples of each type of loop. We hope this blog has helped you enhance your knowledge about the until, select and for loop in shell scripting. If you like to learn more, you can check out our articles:
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