[ubuntu-za] Script error

[Jonathan Hitchcock]

Hi,

On 14 Apr 2009, at 2:40 PM, Alf Stockton wrote:
> if [ -f /mnt/backup/mailbackups/*.dotproject.backup.sql ]
>     then
>     rm /mnt/backup/mailbackups/*.dotproject.backup.sql
>     fi

It has nothing to do with newlines or semicolons:  those are  
interchangeable in POSIX shells - it's purely a matter of aesthetics,  
whether you want to start a newline or put the commands on the same  
line separated by semicolons.

If the above works, then I'm guessing you only have one file that  
matches that pattern, so the pattern expands to one filename, and the  
'-f' test works fine.  Or, you don't have any files, so the condition  
is failing, and you're carrying on your merry way.

Using '-f' is not a magic recipe for "please tell me if this stuff  
exists" - it is a very explicit call that takes one filename parameter  
and returns true if the filename exists and is a regular file, and  
returns false otherwise.  So, supplying it with a pattern is going to  
give a syntax error if the pattern expands to more than one file,  
because the function only takes one parameter.