can anyone tell me why this script didnt prompt me for a CLA
or CD into the directory specified?? I,m using Cygwin for windows sdo I had to mkdir the cygdrive firrst then I ran this script in my home folder and it just started erasing emacs files and folders......Not my temporory internet files

Can someone help or tell me why it did this or give suggestions?

Instead of cd to a directory and removing files, just remove the files directly, i. e.

Whats a CLA? Command line argument? There isn't a prompt for command line arguments. Command line arguments need to be on the command line with the application name.

app_name arg1 arg2 etc. etc...

Did the script stop and wait with the read statement for you to enter something?

Also the if statement should be like for a command line argument:
if [ $1 = "yes" ] then

If you are trying to use the read statement then

if [ $yes = "yes" ] then

Your if statement is evaluating to true because you did not enter a command line argument and yes does not evaluate to anything.

I would guess that something is wrong with your cd statement. Since your current working directory was your home directory the rm will delete everything.

BTW hindsight is always 20-20 but try testing your script in some test directory where you can not do any damage.

if i'm right then $1 is the first argument after the command's name. that's the only way it can delete your files. read yes means it's reading the variable yes; but it isn't using it anywhere else.

Try this:

#!/bin/bash

TEMP_DIR="/cygdrive/c/Documents\ and\ Settings/Owner/Local\ Settings/Temporary\ Internet\ Files/"

echo "would you like to delete your temp internet files?"
read yes

case "$yes" in

[Yy]) rm -frv $TEMP_DIR;;
*) echo "fine let them sit there";
exit 1;;

esac


if you use your method, I would ensure you actually cd'd to the directory by checking the return value of the statement before you delete stuff. Your script deleted the stuff ASSUMING you were in the directory. Check the success two ways:

1. Use $? (the return code of a statement)
cd /tmp
if [ $? -eq 0 ] then
rm -fr *
fi

2. Use &&
cd /tmp && rm -fr *

The statement after the && will execute if the first statement is successful.

Two links you MUST have:

Scripting tutorials with TONS of samples:

http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Bash-Prog-...OWTO.html#toc7
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/

I was about to add te very same thing, but with this method of checking:

if `cd /path/to/change/to`
then
do things
else
echo "Can't change dir"
fi

Also, trade14u, I played your Russian Roulette game, but it just kept saying "You live", and one time it didn't do anything, and then my pc crashed and it won't reboot to Linux.

Hmmm if you're kidding, then you just erased your whole linux root

WHAT!!!!!

No, I'm kidding really.

lmao, I knew but it was a good laugh to read

thanks for all of your help, unfortunately none of your examples worked,

I tried the TEMP_DIR one, no avail? no output

After trying my script instead of erasing I tried

echo $PWD

it still says home/owner

and I dont know why????
I know I messed up it wasnt suppposed to have a CLA and my if variable was wrong i changed it to
read answer
if [ $answer = yes ]
then
/temp && rm -fr *
but that doesnt seem to want to work either??

Any ideas why its not CDing to that directory?????
Thanks for all the help

when I tried && rm -rvf *
it started erasing files but I dont know where????
It said this

removing 'A3GNORSN/Showletter[10]'
over and over and over a bunch of times

what is this file??? If you are right Trade14u then didnt it check with && to make sure it CD'ed to that directory??

Is this code copied and pasted? If so then your problem is that you put
/temp
instead of
cd /temp

Although it still shouldn't have worked, since /temp should return negative since it's not a valid command. I assume you're using bash? Do echo $SHELL to find out.

try:

#!/bin/bash

TEMP="/path/to/tempdir"

echo do you want to delete temp files
read ans

case $ans in

[Yy]) if `cd $TEMP`
then
echo deleting files
rm -rvf *
else
echo Cannot change directory
exit
fi
;;
*) echo OK let them be
;;
esac