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I'm writing a .sh script like the following:

echo script started ./some_command > output_file echo script ended

I'd like the output to be the following: 

script started ./some_command > output_file script ended

I've tried set -v, set +v but it didn't work properly,
is there anything similar to @echo in batch?

Thanks

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  • 4
    at the beginning of your shell script use #!/bin/sh -x This will output each execution Commented Sep 25, 2013 at 20:29
  • I was going to suggest you use standard error like so: echo script started >&2, then run your script with myscript 2> /dev/null, but that does not seem to be what you want. Commented Sep 25, 2013 at 20:31
  • yes, I want to output my commands except the echo command, sorry for the confusion Commented Sep 25, 2013 at 20:34
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    What you are trying to do seems non standard and issues prone. Commented Sep 25, 2013 at 20:55
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    @user1464870 Don't give up so fast and accept an answer you don't like... You just posted this 3 hours ago. Maybe change the title because what you really want to do seems to be print the commands within a bash script, except don't echo the echo command twice... Commented Sep 26, 2013 at 0:10

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
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If you don't want to bash -x the whole file, then as long as you don't mind running in a subshell, you can simply do this per line:

(set -x; command ...)

Quick and easy to use. I also use this in my git config to echo git aliased commands so I remember what they're aliased to

~/.gitconfig [alias] c = "!f() { (set -x; git commit --verbose \"$@\"; ) }; f" c- = "!f() { (set -x; git commit -m \"$@\"; ) }; f" dt = "!f() { (set -x; git describe --long --tags;) }; f;" push = "!f() { (set -x; git push origin \"$@\";) }; f" s = "!f() { (set -x; git status -sb \"$@\"; ) }; f" ... 
$ git s + git status -sb ## main...origin/main M file-1 M file-2 ?? file-3
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1 Comment

That's a nice application! Related to it, I have this in my .gitconfig, which allows me to list the git aliases via git alias: [alias] alias = ! git config --get-regexp ^alias\\. | sed -e s/^alias\\.// -e s/\\ /\\ =\\ /
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Using bash -x from the comment by @TopGunCoder:

#!/usr/bin/env bash -x echo $0 started > /dev/null ls pwd ./some_command > output_file date echo $0 ended > /dev/null

The OUTPUT is each command followed by its result:

+ echo /Users/myuser/scripts/tbash.sh started + ls [...my directory listing...] + pwd /Users/myuser + ./some_command [the output of "some command"] + date Wed Sep 25 17:06:25 PDT 2013 + echo /Users/myuser/scripts/tbash.sh ended
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2 Comments

The command doesn't even need to be echo, then -- one could run : "$0" started, and have the same effect, but with a shorter prefix and no need for a >/dev/null redirection. (: is a synonym for true, but one conventionally/traditionally understood to indicate this kind of placeholder use).
Thanks, Charles. I didn't know about :. This was answered a long time ago, and I think I just adapted the OP's example. Not sure why I even put the redirection.
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Instead of using echo just replace it with # that way echo isn't displayed and you still get some feedback

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This does what you'd like :

#!/bin/bash echo "script started" echo "./some_command > output_file" ./some_command > output_file echo "script ended"
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4 Comments

I have thought about that, but what if I have hundreds of lines. that creates a maintenance problem
This is the straightforward way.
@rid, there's a way with eval but don't use it (security issues). KISS. 'eval' is a common misspelling of 'evil'. If eval is the answer, surely you are asking the wrong question. See mywiki.wooledge.org/BashFAQ/048
@sputnick, seems like there's no better solutions. I guess I'll take yours as the answer.

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