Re: feature request: allow shif [n] with n > $#

[Chet Ramey]

On 4/11/19 4:18 PM, Toralf Förster wrote:
> Given:
> 
> $> cat <<EOF >shift.sh
> #!/bin/bash
> #
> 
> shift 3
> 
> echo ">>${@}<<"
> EOF
> 
> then a call with less than 3 parameter, eg. "./shift.sh 1 2" gives ">>1 2<<". 
> Whilst the man page does not deny this behaviour I do wonder if a feature 
> request to get ">><<" instead is sufficient here?

I'm not inclined to add it; no other POSIX shell does it. And the standard
has this to say:

"If the n operand is invalid or is greater than "$#", this may be
considered a syntax error and a non-interactive shell may exit; if the
shell does not exit in this case, a non-zero exit status shall be
returned."

If you want to be sure to shift out all existing parameters, use
`shift $#'. If you want something else, you can add logic to cap the
argument passed to `shift' at $#.

-- 
``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/

signature.asc
Description: OpenPGP digital signature