bash shell read question

gedinfo · 12-30-2013, 01:40 PM

I have come across a bash shell, which consists of a read command, which, when executed, results in the data NOT appearing that was entered.

This is how the command appears in the .sh file:

read -s -p "Enter directory(i.e. 1 -> Core, 2 -> Offset:" DirectoryValue

I have searched for what the -s and -p flags mean, but have not been successful.

Where is a good reference to the flags that read utilizes?

Thank you.

druuna · 12-30-2013, 02:22 PM

The bash man page.

Search for the SHELL BUILTIN COMMANDS section and the read command will be one of them.

Its rather long, but this is mentioned about -s and -p

Quote:

-s Silent mode. If input is coming from a terminal, characters are not echoed.

Quote:

-p prompt Display prompt on standard error, without a trailing newline, before attempting to read any input. The prompt is displayed only if input is coming from a terminal.