Bash rejects syntax I think should work

PapaOz · 07-21-2023, 12:15 PM

I already know what I want to do is subject to criticism about style. <g>.
However, this question is about the bash parser.

I have a trivial little function:

function MyEcho ()
{ set +x; echo $1; set $DASHX; return }
The parser says "syntax error: unexpected end of file"

But
function MyEcho ()
{
set +x
echo $1
set $DASHX
return
}
works fine,

and
if [ 1 == 1 ]
then
{ echo hello; echo world; return }
works fine.

So why is the first use of multiple statements within braces incorrect
while the second is OK?

kakistocrat · 07-21-2023, 12:18 PM

Welcome.

If the closing brace is on the same line as the return, then there needs to be a semicolon to separate them:

Code:

function MyEcho () { set +x; echo $1; set $DASHX; return; }

PapaOz · 07-21-2023, 12:37 PM

Thank you, Turbocapitalist. It works, of course. I thought I tried that before posting, but I guess I didn't.

kakistocrat · 07-21-2023, 12:39 PM

No problem. There's also shell check which will catch many things too. There is a web interface for it or you can install it locally from your distro's repository.

jmccue · 07-21-2023, 03:38 PM

Welcome to LQ

FWIW, programming may have been a better place for this, but you got a good answer anyway, so no harm done

pan64 · 07-22-2023, 08:43 AM

see man bash:

Quote:

A simple command is ... terminated by a control operator.

Code:

control operator
    A token that performs a control function. It is one of the following symbols:

        ||   &   &&   ;   ;;   (   )   |   |&   <newline>

Based on this you need to have one of these symbols between return and } .