Is there a standard bash tool that acts like echo but outputs to stderr rather than stdout?
I know I can do echo foo 1>&2 but it's kinda ugly and, I suspect, error prone (e.g. more likely to get edited wrong when things change).
views:
70answers:
3
+4
A:
No, that's the standard way to do it. It shouldn't cause errors.
Matthew Flaschen
2010-06-07 14:37:10
*It* shouldn't cause errors, but I might be more likely to. OTOH it's not that big a deal.
BCS
2010-06-07 14:42:33
The only way it will fail is if the file ID for stdout is not 1 or the file ID for stderr is not 2. As these constants are defined by POSIX.1, which I believe is a prerequisite for bash to build, this will work for the forseeable future. Thus, I am curious as to what you mean by "likely to get edited wrong when things change". Are you having a similar problem with people changing the word "echo" into something else?
Mike DeSimone
2010-06-07 14:52:10
Jefromi
2010-06-07 15:00:10
`( echo something 1> something else ) > log` -> `(echo something; cp some junk 1> something else) > log` Oops.
BCS
2010-06-07 17:15:25
IMHO, if someone messes with the code and doesn't know bash, this may be the least of your problems.
Mike DeSimone
2010-06-07 17:34:43
I think if that's likely to be an issue, you should start using a different language: trying to make bash foolproof is a fool's venture.
intuited
2010-06-07 23:19:12
+1
A:
Make a script
#!/bin/sh
echo $* 1>&2
that would be your tool.
Or make a function if you don't want to have a script in separate file.
n0rd
2010-06-07 14:48:02
Better for it to be a function (like James Roth's answer), and better to pass along all arguments, not just the first.
Jefromi
2010-06-07 14:59:10
+7
A:
You could define a function:
function echoerr() { echo "$@" 1>&2; }
echoerr hello world
This would be faster than a script and have no dependencies.
James Roth
2010-06-07 14:52:56