Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Fri, 14 Feb 2003 16:58:22 +0100
From:      Heinrich Rebehn <rebehn@ant.uni-bremen.de>
To:        "Colin J. Raven" <duiker@haggis.nl>
Cc:        'BSD Questions' <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject:   Re: syntax problem in /etc/csh.login
Message-ID:  <3E4D121E.30004@ant.uni-bremen.de>
References:  <000001c2d42e$b3811300$1500000a@scrk.com>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Colin J. Raven wrote:
> <snippage>
> +> > if [ `whoami` = test ]; then
> +> > echo ""
> +> > echo -e "This is a test message for user test" && \
> +> > echo ""
> +> > fi
> +> > ###################################################
> +> > </snip>
> +> > and got an error upon subsequent login as user "test":
> +> > "if: Expression Syntax." (without parens)
> +> > 
> +> > Anyone got any idea what I'm doing wrong? 
> +> > Guess: csh syntax is different from bash 
> +> 
> +> You're right!
> Well, thanks!
> 
> +> > but beyond that I'm stumped.
> +> 
> +> beyond that comes 'man csh'.
> Oh for goodness sakes!!!!
> 
> I am sure it does but reading man csh is a 2 week exercise.....which
> considering I don't normally use csh, but a few of my user opoulation
> does, it's not likely that I am going to absorb all the huge amount of
> information in man csh for a shell I never use personally.
>  
> +> Sorry, but you have to read it yourself! ;-)
> +> 
> +> Hint: As the name of the shell suggests, the syntax quite C-like.
> 
> Response to "Hint"
> Most assuredly your response indicates substantial knowledge of C.
> Unlike you however, I am not a programmer but "catch on quickly" to most
> things.....and my post was no more than asking someone to "jumpstart me"
> which usually starts me on a reading binge in FURTHER pursuit of
> knowledge. Right now I have absolutely no clue as to where to begin.
> 
> On this list of all places, I did not expect the supercilious "RTFM"
> response. It's uncalled for, it's unecessary and furthermore does not
> speak well of your willingness to be of assistance to those less
> knowledgeable than yourself. Instead it smacks of a (largely useless)
> demonstration of what *you* know and others *don't* know.
> 
> I wonder...seriously....I wonder why you even elected to respond at
> all???? Remaining silent would have been the elegant solution.

Hey man, cool down :-)

man pages *are* the primary source of information. Also i don't know the 
csh syntax myself (only use sh/bash), that's why i referred you to the 
man page. I also have *very* limited knowledge about C, but the name 
"c-shell" really comes from C. This happens to be one of the things that 
i remember from my first UNIX course some 10 years ago.
The csh man page is in fact very long, but you don't have to read it 
completely. I had a look into it myself, by browsing and searching (use 
the "/" (slash) button) one can find the "if" syntax quite quickly.

Sorry for having hurt your feelings :-)

Kond regards,

	Heinrich



To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message




Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?3E4D121E.30004>