Re: [Help-bash] What is going on here? Line with multiple < redirects

[Greg Wooledge]

On Mon, Dec 14, 2015 at 10:26:53AM -0600, Lane Schwartz wrote:
> $ ./part3.py < ./part2.py < ./part1.py < sample.txt
> 
> In this example, part3.py appears to directly take sample.txt as input, and
> part2.py and part1.py appear to not execute.

Redirections are processed from left to right.  Bash opens ./part2.py
for reading, then moves to the next.  Bash opens ./part1.py for reading
(and closes the previously opened file), then moves to the next.  Bash
opens sample.txt for reading (and closes the previously opened file).

The end result is that 3 files have been opened, but 2 of them were
closed.  The final file remains open as standard input for ./part3.py.