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From: G <g@nowhere.invalid>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc
Subject: Re: Quotes in a bash script
Date: 20 Oct 2022 17:08:02 GMT
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Joe Beanfish <joebeanfish@nospam.duh> wrote:
> On Thu, 20 Oct 2022 15:36:43 +0000, G wrote:
> 
>> Rich <rich@example.invalid> wrote:
>>> G <g@nowhere.invalid> wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>> 
>>>> I have to run in a bash script a program that requires the string
>>>> 
>>>> 'TITLE "Average"'
>>>> 
>>>> in the command line with exactly that combination of double and 
>>>> single quotes.
>>>> 
>>>> Whatever combinations of quotes, escapes and tricks I try the string 
>>>> passed to the program is wrong and not accepted.  Is there a way to 
>>>> write that in a Bash script in a way that the prog sees exactly that?
>>> 
>>>     $ cat scr
>>>     #!/bin/bash
>>> 
>>>     echo I see: \'TITLE\ \"Average\"\'
>>> 
>>>     $ ./scr
>>>     I see: 'TITLE "Average"'
>> 
>> Yes, I have tried that: in "echo" it works but in a script command line for
>> some reason doesn't. If I use "set -x" to debug this is what I get 
>> 
>> ++ echo ''\''TITLE "Average"'\'''
>> 'TITLE "Average"'
>> ++ PROG ''\''TITLE "Average"'\'''
>> 
>> And it gives an error, it seems that echo accept what it sees but a program
>> gets something different or is not equipped to accept it.
>> 
>> Even weirder the error is 
>> 
>> syntax error: 'TITLE "Average"' 
>> 
>> Which is the proper string, Probably reformatted in output or something....
>> I have no idea if it is possible to have <PROG  'TITLE "Average"'> as the
>> actual command, as if I use that synatx on the comman line it works.
>> 
>> Thanks for the help.
>> 
>> G
> 
> Is "syntax error" from the shell or your program?
> 
From the program it is the same if I miss a quote.

> Show us the actual complete command line being used. And maybe
> a complete short script which demonstrates the problem.

The program is xmgrace, a plotting prog, from the command line 
  xmgrace -pexec 'TITLE "Average' -block NSLB3-3d5-11-V.dat -bxy 1:2 
plots the proper graph with the title, in the script I have 
  xmgrace -pexec \'TITLE\ \"Average\"\' -block NSLB3-3d5-11-V.dat -bxy 1:2
And I get the error. 
  syntax error: 'TITLE "Average"' 
with the right string! I tried a small C program "TestIn" with the lines
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
 printf("<%s> <%s>\n",argv[0],argv[1]);
 }
and I get from
 TestIn  'TITLE "Average"' 
 <TestIn> <TITLE "Average">
from
 TestIn  \'TITLE\ \"Average\"\'
 <TestIn> <'TITLE "Average"'>
and the same in a script.

I am starting to think that the problem is the plotting prog. I'll try to
contact the author or maybe download the source and see how the input is
processed.

G