Unable to set variables in bash script in Mac OSX

Question

Hello! I am attempting to automate moving files from a folder to a new folder automatically every night using a bash script run from applescript on a schedule. I am attempting to write a bash script on Mac OSX, and it keeps failing. In short this is what I have (all my ECHOs are for error checking):

#!/bin/bash

folder = "ABC"

useracct = 'test'

day = date "+%d"

month = date "+%B" 

year = date "+%Y"

folderToBeMoved = "/users/$useracct/Documents/Archive/Primetime.eyetv"

newfoldername = "/Volumes/Media/Network/$folder/$month$day$year"

ECHO "Network is $network" $network

ECHO "day is $day"

ECHO "Month is $month"

ECHO "YEAR is $year"

ECHO "source is $folderToBeMoved"

ECHO "dest is $newfoldername"


mkdir $newfoldername

cp -R $folderToBeMoved $newfoldername

if [-f $newfoldername/Primetime.eyetv];
then rm $folderToBeMoved;
fi

Now my first problem is that I cannot set variables at all. Even literal ones where I just make it equal some literal. All my echos come out blank. I cannot grab the day, month, or year either,it comes out blank as well.

I get an error saying that -f is not found.

I get an error saying there is an unexpected end of file.

I made the file and did a chmod u+x scriptname.sh

I'm not sure why nothing is working at all. I am very new to this bash script on OSX, and only have experience with windows vbscript. Any help would be great, thanks!

Answer 1

Five problems:

1. Don't put a space before or after the equal sign.
2. Use "$(...)" to get the output of a command as text.
3. [ is a command. Put a space between it and the arguments.
4. Commands are case-sensitive. You want echo.
5. Use double quotes around variables. rm "$folderToBeMoved"

Answer 2

Assignment in bash scripts cannot have spaces around the = and you probably want your date commands enclosed in backticks $():

#!/bin/bash
folder="ABC"
useracct='test'
day=$(date "+%d")
month=$(date "+%B")
year=$(date "+%Y")
folderToBeMoved="/users/$useracct/Documents/Archive/Primetime.eyetv"
newfoldername="/Volumes/Media/Network/$folder/$month$day$year"
ECHO "Network is $network" $network
ECHO "day is $day"
ECHO "Month is $month"
ECHO "YEAR is $year"
ECHO "source is $folderToBeMoved"
ECHO "dest is $newfoldername"
mkdir $newfoldername
cp -R $folderToBeMoved $newfoldername
if [-f $newfoldername/Primetime.eyetv]; then rm $folderToBeMoved; fi

With the last three lines commented out, for me this outputs:

Network is 
day is 16
Month is March
YEAR is 2010
source is /users/test/Documents/Archive/Primetime.eyetv
dest is /Volumes/Media/Network/ABC/March162010

Answer 3

here's your amended script

#!/bin/bash    
folder="ABC" #no spaces between assignment    
useracct='test'    
day=$(date "+%d") # use $() to assign return value of date command to variable    
month=$(date "+%B")     
year=$(date "+%Y")    
folderToBeMoved="/users/$useracct/Documents/Archive/Primetime.eyetv"    
newfoldername="/Volumes/Media/Network/$folder/$month$day$year"    
ECHO "Network is $network" $network    
ECHO "day is $day"    
ECHO "Month is $month"    
ECHO "YEAR is $year"    
ECHO "source is $folderToBeMoved"    
ECHO "dest is $newfoldername"    

mkdir "$newfoldername"    
cp -R "$folderToBeMoved" "$newfoldername"
if [ -f "$newfoldername/Primetime.eyetv" ]; then # <-- put a space at square brackets and quote your variables.
 rm "$folderToBeMoved";
fi