AIX Korn Shell Programming

Objectives
On successful completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

• understand what can be achieved through scripting
• use shell variables and positional parameters
• I/O handling and redirection
• use the test command
• use conditional execution with if and case
• implement iteration with for, while and until
• perform mathematical and string operations
• use internal and external functions
• use basic utilities such as head & tail, paste, cut, sort
• implement powerful utilities such as sed and awk.

Who Should Attend
This course is designed for AIX administrators and developers who need to understand, write and debug Korn shell scripts.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of UNIX/AIX at a user level, gained either through on-the-job experience or by attending the AIX Fundamentals course.
Duration
4 days

Course Code
AXKO
Contents
Introduction and orientation
Recap on base commands and metacharacters; why use shell scripts; basic script structure; shell script execution.


Variables and positional parameters
Setting and using variables; set vs env; using the typeset command; understanding positional parameters; $* vs $; the set command; shifting the parameter list.


Conditional execution
Exit codes; concepts of flow control; the test command; test expressions; if-then-else structures; the case command.


Iteration (or looping)
Concepts of loops; the for command; conditional looping with for and while; loop termination with exit and continue; using counters in loops; redirection and iteration.


Mathematical and string processing
Arithmetic with expr, let and (()); using typeset; using arrays; character translation.


Functions
Creating functions; functions and performance; making functions global.


Using basic utilities for tidy scripting
Processing string data with head, tail, cut; sorting records with sort; extracting data with cut.


Using sed and awk
Why use the stream editor; line ranges; sed operations; multiple editing functions; why use awk; awk patterns; awk actions; sed and awk examples in AIX.


Designing and debugging scripts
Planning for performance; top down or bottom up design; from design to testing; script debugging techniques; AIX system scripts in /etc.