How to write a bash script that takes optional input arguments?
BashArgumentsParameter PassingBash Problem Overview
I want my script to be able to take an optional input,
e.g. currently my script is
#!/bin/bash
somecommand foo
but I would like it to say:
#!/bin/bash
somecommand [ if $1 exists, $1, else, foo ]
Bash Solutions
Solution 1 - Bash
You could use the default-value syntax:
somecommand ${1:-foo}
The above will, as described in Bash Reference Manual - 3.5.3 Shell Parameter Expansion [emphasis mine]:
> If parameter is unset or null, the expansion of word is substituted. Otherwise, the value of parameter is substituted.
If you only want to substitute a default value if the parameter is unset (but not if it's null, e.g. not if it's an empty string), use this syntax instead:
somecommand ${1-foo}
Again from Bash Reference Manual - 3.5.3 Shell Parameter Expansion:
> Omitting the colon results in a test only for a parameter that is unset. Put another way, if the colon is included, the operator tests for both parameter’s existence and that its value is not null; if the colon is omitted, the operator tests only for existence.
Solution 2 - Bash
You can set a default value for a variable like so:
somecommand.sh
#!/usr/bin/env bash
ARG1=${1:-foo}
ARG2=${2:-'bar is'}
ARG3=${3:-1}
ARG4=${4:-$(date)}
echo "$ARG1"
echo "$ARG2"
echo "$ARG3"
echo "$ARG4"
Here are some examples of how this works:
$ ./somecommand.sh
foo
bar is
1
Thu 19 May 2022 06:58:52 ADT
$ ./somecommand.sh ez
ez
bar is
1
Thu 19 May 2022 06:58:52 ADT
$ ./somecommand.sh able was i
able
was
i
Thu 19 May 2022 06:58:52 ADT
$ ./somecommand.sh "able was i"
able was i
bar is
1
Thu 19 May 2022 06:58:52 ADT
$ ./somecommand.sh "able was i" super
able was i
super
1
Thu 19 May 2022 06:58:52 ADT
$ ./somecommand.sh "" "super duper"
foo
super duper
1
Thu 19 May 2022 06:58:52 ADT
$ ./somecommand.sh "" "super duper" hi you
foo
super duper
hi
you
Solution 3 - Bash
if [ ! -z $1 ]
then
: # $1 was given
else
: # $1 was not given
fi
Solution 4 - Bash
You can check the number of arguments with $#
#!/bin/bash
if [ $# -ge 1 ]
then
$1
else
foo
fi
Solution 5 - Bash
please don't forget, if its variable $1 .. $n you need write to a regular variable to use the substitution
#!/bin/bash
NOW=$1
echo ${NOW:-$(date +"%Y-%m-%d")}
Solution 6 - Bash
This allows default value for optional 1st arg, and preserves multiple args.
> cat mosh.sh
set -- ${1:-xyz} ${@:2:$#} ; echo $*
> mosh.sh
xyz
> mosh.sh 1 2 3
1 2 3
Solution 7 - Bash
For optional multiple arguments, by analogy with the ls
command which can take one or more files or by default lists everything in the current directory:
if [ $# -ge 1 ]
then
files="$@"
else
files=*
fi
for f in $files
do
echo "found $f"
done
Does not work correctly for files with spaces in the path, alas. Have not figured out how to make that work yet.
Solution 8 - Bash
It's possible to use variable substitution to substitute a fixed value or a command (like date
) for an argument. The answers so far have focused on fixed values, but this is what I used to make date an optional argument:
~$ sh co.sh
2017-01-05
~$ sh co.sh 2017-01-04
2017-01-04
~$ cat co.sh
DAY=${1:-$(date +%F -d "yesterday")}
echo $DAY