5 articles
Stop writing scripts that fail silently. Master the 'Safe Mode' of Bash. Learn to use 'set -e' for instant failure, 'set -x' for line-by-line debugging, and 'trap' to ensure your cleanup code runs even when a script crashes.
Don't repeat yourself. Master the art of modular Linux scripting. Learn to define re-usable Functions, understand the difference between Local and Global variables, and learn how to return values and status codes from your modules.
Master the art of high-volume automation. Learn to process hundreds of files in seconds using 'For' loops, and create persistent background tasks using 'While' loops. Discover and master the 'Until' logic.
Make your scripts intelligent and interactive. Master the use of User-Defined Variables, Environment Variables, and Command Substitution. Learn to ask users for information using the 'read' command.
Turn your commands into code. Learn the foundational anatomy of a Linux shell script. Master the 'Shebang' line, understand file execution bits, and learn to pass arguments from the command line into your script.