[solved] bash script

äxl · 05-14-2018, 05:54 PM

hi all, i got this bash script but i can't get it to work:

Code:

#!/bin/bash
expressvpn status > /home/user/transmissionvpn.log
cat /home/user/transmissionvpn.log
grep connected /home/user/transmissionvpn.log >/dev/null
RESULT=$?
if [ $RESULT -eq 0 ]
then echo nice -n 10 transmission-gtk -m
else zenity --info --text "Get your VPN running!"
fi

here's the output if i run in it terminal:

Code:

~$ bash -x ~/transmissionvpn.sh 
+ expressvpn status
+ cat /home/user/transmissionvpn.log
Connected to xxx 

+ grep connected /home/user/transmissionvpn.log
+ RESULT=1
+ '[' 1 -eq 0 ']'
+ zenity --info --text 'Get your VPN running!'

the log file contains "connected" so what am i doing wrong?

my bash version:
GNU bash, version 4.4.12(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)

tia

syg00 · 05-14-2018, 06:59 PM

Quote:

the log file contains "connected"

No it doesn't.

BW-userx · 05-14-2018, 07:01 PM

Connected != connected

ondoho · 05-15-2018, 12:57 AM

a few things:

yes, linux is case sensitive
the word "disconnected" also contains the word connected => maybe use 'grep -w'. anyhow, read 'man grep'
a return status of 1 actually means FALSE

what id'd do:

Code:

if grep -qw connected /home/user/transmissionvpn.log; then
    echo nice -n 10 transmission-gtk -m
else
    zenity --info --text "Get your VPN running!"
fi

äxl · 05-15-2018, 01:10 AM

oh, sorry for the noise.
in my .bashrc i have aliased grep -Ei to grep and i forgot so i didn't find the culprit.
thanks all!

MadeInGermany · 05-15-2018, 01:53 AM

.bashrc is run in interactive bash, not in bash scripts.

pan64 · 05-15-2018, 01:58 AM

.bashrc is evaluated only for interactive shells - if I remember well.
Also aliases are not expanded when the shell is not interactive (unless the expand_aliases shell option is set using shopt).

So your explanation is not clear for me. But never mind, if it solves your problem it is completely ok.

If you want to avoid - in general - such surprises use always the full path:

Code:

/bin/grep ....
# will not be evaluated as function, alias or any other hidden tricky thing