Re: select syntax violates the POLA

[Chet Ramey]

On 4/1/21 4:36 AM, greywolf@starwolf.com wrote:

> Bash Version: 5.1
> Patch Level: 4
> Release Status: release
>
> Description:
>         The 'select' directive's syntax does not correspond to the rest of the 
> shell's syntax.
>         I am not sure if this is by design; if it is, let me know and I'll go 
> away.

It's more like `select' doesn't inherit some of the shell's special cases.

>         if ((n > 1)); then {
>             select dir in ${d[@]}; do {
>                 break;
>             } done;
>         }
>         else { ...
>
> 	...but select breaks on the "} done;" syntax 

Yes, you need a list terminator so that `done' is recognized as a reserved
word here. `;' is sufficient. Select doesn't allow the `done' unless it's
in a command position. Some of the other compound commands have special
cases, mostly inherited from the Bourne shell, to allow it.

--
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
                 ``Ars longa, vita brevis'' - Hippocrates
Chet Ramey, UTech, CWRU    chet@case.edu    http://tiswww.cwru.edu/~chet/