[CentOS] shell script strangeness...

[Ian Blackwell]

Craig White wrote:
> On my CentOS 4.6 server, this works...
>
> if [ -z `grep entry_chooser.js /var/log/httpd/access_log` ]
>
> On my CentOS 5.1 server, this gives me the following error...
>
> ./test_file.scr: line 3: [: too many arguments
>
> Can anyone explain why the difference and suggest something that makes
> both cases happy?
>
> Thanks
>
> Craig
>
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>   
Not sure why 4.6 is allowing it, but your if test will be resolving to 
something like this:-
if [ -z this line from your log file and another line and even more 
lines until your if test fails with too many arguments I hope you don't 
want me to keep typing to make the point ]

To fix it, wrap the grep instead double quotes as well as the ticks - e.g.
if [ -z "`grep entry_chooser.js /var/log/httpd/access_log`" ]
Then the output from the grep will be seen as one long string, not a 
multitude of words from your log file.

Ian
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