Stop Writing `If` in Bash
3 days ago
- #Bash
- #Shell Scripting
- #Control Flow
- Bash scripts should avoid excessive use of if statements for simple control.
- Bash uses exit codes (0 for success, non-zero for failure) and logical operators for control flow.
- Logical operators: ; (runs regardless), && (runs if previous command succeeds), || (runs if previous command fails).
- Conditional assignments can be simplified using logical operators (e.g., [ -z "$EDITOR" ] && EDITOR="vim").
- Command chains (func1 && func2 && func3 || handle_error) streamline workflows and error handling.
- Bash's native behavior (exit codes and logical operators) leads to cleaner, more idiomatic scripts.