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Home > Forums > Programmers > Languages > UNIX Scripting Forum

directories with spaces using diff commandHelpful Member!(2) 

thread822-1679353
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rigstars2 (Instructor)
31 Mar 12 12:01
Hey Everyone,

ORIGINAL="Library/Internet Plug-Ins"
COPY="/MyStuff/watch/Internet Plug-Ins"

The ORGININAL directory has extra files there so when I run the
command below, I'd expect it the find the differences between the 2
variables but it doesn't. Any help is appreciated. I'm thinking, it is not handling the spaces correctly with the directory names.

sudo diff -r $ORIGINAL $COPY >> $CHANG

Thanks!
PHV (MIS)
31 Mar 12 13:12
Perhaps this ?
sudo diff -r "$ORIGINAL" "$COPY" >> $CHANG

Hope This Helps, PH.
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rigstars2 (Instructor)
31 Mar 12 15:49
Nice try PH but it doesn't give the output. I ran "echo $?" immediately afteward to see what the error code would be it was never 0   
SamBones (Programmer)
2 Apr 12 13:11
The "echo $?" would be giving the return variable of the last command, which would be the "sudo" in this case. All you are testing is that the sudo worked.

 
Helpful Member!  Annihilannic (MIS)
3 Apr 12 1:40
sudo does faithfully return the return code of the last command executed:

CODE

# sudo true ; echo $?
0

# sudo false ; echo $?
1
# sudo ksh -c 'exit 6' ; echo $?
6
#

Annihilannic
tgmlify - code syntax highlighting for your tek-tips posts

Helpful Member!  PHV (MIS)
3 Apr 12 3:50
And this ?

CODE

sudo diff -r "'$ORIGINAL'" "'$COPY'"

Hope This Helps, PH.
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