[SOLVED] Is there a command like "read" that doesn't show the input?

TITiAN · 03-07-2012, 09:42 AM

Hi
I have a line in an init script similar to this:

Code:

read password; echo "$password" | encfs -S bla bla bla

As you would guess, "encfs" accepts the $password variable that is read and then piped to encfs.
(The reason why I use the pipe is that in the actual script I use 'su -u user', which somehow disables the normal input from the commandline :$).
My question, guess it from the context and the title, is: Is there another program that acts like 'read', but suppresses the input from being mirrored in the shell (i.e., doesn't show my password) ? If not, is the an applicable way?
TIA

acid_kewpie · 03-07-2012, 09:45 AM

"man read" says use the -s flag.

TITiAN · 03-07-2012, 10:14 AM

interestingly, it doesn't:

Quote:

DESCRIPTION
The read utility shall read a single line from standard input.

By default, unless the -r option is specified, backslash ( '\' ) shall act as an escape character, as described in Escape Character (Backslash) . If standard input is a terminal device and the invoking
shell is interactive, read shall prompt for a continuation line when:

* The shell reads an input line ending with a backslash, unless the -r option is specified.

* A here-document is not terminated after a <newline> is entered.

The line shall be split into fields as in the shell (see Field Splitting ); the first field shall be assigned to the first variable var, the second field to the second variable var, and so on. If there are
fewer var operands specified than there are fields, the leftover fields and their intervening separators shall be assigned to the last var. If there are fewer fields than vars, the remaining vars shall be
set to empty strings.

The setting of variables specified by the var operands shall affect the current shell execution environment; see Shell Execution Environment . If it is called in a subshell or separate utility execution
environment, such as one of the following:

(read foo)
nohup read ...
find . -exec read ... \;

it shall not affect the shell variables in the caller's environment.

OPTIONS
The read utility shall conform to the Base Definitions volume of IEEE Std 1003.1-2001, Section 12.2, Utility Syntax Guidelines.

The following option is supported:

-r Do not treat a backslash character in any special way. Consider each backslash to be part of the input line.

OPERANDS
The following operand shall be supported:

var The name of an existing or nonexisting shell variable.

STDIN

the -s flag does this, though
thanks

acid_kewpie · 03-07-2012, 10:17 AM

heh. ok... MY "man read" says....

TITiAN · 03-07-2012, 11:57 AM

i don't know what's wrong with my man page, that's what i meant, sorry; thank you for solving

chrism01 · 03-15-2012, 09:29 PM

If its any help, this http://linux.die.net/man/1/bash has read -s documented