Module.111: Advanced Shell Scripting using Bash. Course Content

1: Manual Pages. Installation and Distribution

→ Understanding the Importance of Documentation

→ The role of manual pages in Linux environments

→ Overview of the man command and its usage

→ Structure of a Manual Page

→ Sections of a manual page (NAME, SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION, OPTIONS, EXAMPLES, etc.)

→ Best practices for writing each section

→ Examples of well-documented manual pages

→ Introduction to groff Formatting

→ Basics of the groff formatting language

→ Common macros used in manual pages (e.g., .TH, .SH, .B)

→ Creating a simple manual page template

→ Writing a Manual Page for a Bash Script

→ Step-by-step guide to writing a manual page for a sample Bash script

→ Incorporating script options, arguments, and examples into the manual page

→ Formatting and Testing

→ Formatting the manual page with groff

→ Previewing the manual page using man and troubleshooting common issues

→ Installing and Distributing Manual Pages

→ Installing the manual page in the appropriate section of the filesystem

→ Setting up the MANPATH environment variable for custom paths

→ Packaging and distributing the script along with its manual page

→ Best Practices and Tips

→ Keeping documentation up-to-date with script changes

→ Ensuring clarity and conciseness in documentation

→ Collaborative documentation practices (using version control systems)

2: Functions and Libraries

→ Advanced Function Usage

→ Functions with return values

→ Recursive functions in Bash

→ Passing arguments to functions and handling them efficiently

→ Creating and Using Bash Libraries

→ Modular script design

→ Creating reusable libraries for scripts

→ Sourcing external scripts and libraries

3: Input/Output and File Management

→ Advanced File Handling

→ Efficient file reading and writing techniques

→ Handling large files with Bash

→ Working with file descriptors

→ Parsing and Processing Data

→ Text processing with awk, sed, and grep

→ Parsing JSON, XML, and other structured data formats

→ Using regular expressions for complex pattern matching

4: Introdction to sed. A Sequential Editor

→ What is sed?

→ Overview of sed and its role in text processing.

→ Basic sed syntax and command structure.

→ Basic Operations

→ Performing simple substitutions (s/old/new/).

→ Deleting lines and patterns.

→ Inserting and appending text.

→ Working with sed Commands

→ Using the -e option for multiple commands.

→ Introduction to addressing (line numbers, patterns).

→ Regular Expressions in sed

→ Understanding and using basic and extended regular expressions.

→ Pattern matching and substitution with regular expressions.

→ Multi-Line and Conditional Operations

→ Handling multi-line patterns with sed.

→ Using the -n option to suppress automatic output.

→ Conditional commands: b, t, :label, and =.

→ In-Place Editing and Backup Files

→ Editing files in place with the -i option.

→ Creating backup files during in-place editing.

→ Combining sed with Other Tools

→ Using sed in pipelines with grep, awk, and cut.

→ Automating text processing in shell scripts.

→ Advanced Examples and Use Cases

→ Reformatting data files (CSV, log files) with sed.

→ Batch processing multiple files using sed.

→ Real-world scenarios: configuration file edits, data cleanup, and report generation.

→ Best Practices and Optimization

→ Writing efficient sed scripts.

→ Debugging common sed errors.

→ Performance considerations for large files and streams.

5: Mastering Text Processing with awk

→ Introduction to awk

→ What is awk?

→ Overview of awk and its role in text processing.

→ Basic syntax: patterns, actions, fields, and records.

→ Basic Operations

→ Printing text and data with awk.

→ Using field separators and record delimiters.

→ Selecting and processing specific columns in text files.

→ Pattern Matching

→ Using awk for basic pattern matching.

→ Conditional statements in awk scripts.

→ Examples of filtering and processing data based on patterns.

→ Variables and Functions

→ Working with variables in awk.

→ Built-in functions for string and numeric operations.

→ Writing custom functions in awk.

→ Control Structures

→ Using loops (for, while, do-while) in awk.

→ Conditional processing with if-else and switch.

→ Arrays in awk for handling complex data.

→ File Processing

→ Reading and writing to files with awk.

→ Processing multiple files and aggregating data.

→ Practical examples: parsing logs, processing CSV files.

→ Advanced Data Processing

→ Generating formatted reports with awk.

→ Statistical calculations and data summarization.

→ Multi-file processing and data merging.

→ Integrating awk with Shell Scripts

→ Combining awk with other Unix/Linux commands.

→ Writing complex shell scripts using awk for data manipulation.

→ Automating system administration tasks with awk.

→ Best Practices and Optimization

→ Writing efficient and maintainable awk scripts.

→ Debugging awk programs.

→ Performance tuning for large data sets.

6: Process Management

→ Job Control and Background Processes

→ Managing background jobs

→ Process substitution and redirection

→ Handling orphaned and zombie processes

→ Advanced Signal Handling

→ Trapping and handling signals

→ Creating robust scripts that manage interruptions

→ Using signals for inter-process communication

7: Introduction to Command-Line Arguments

→ Basics of Command-Line Arguments

→ Accessing arguments using $0, $1, $#, $@, and $*

→ Handling positional parameters in scripts

→ Simple Argument Processing with getopts

→ Overview of getopts and its usage

→ Handling short options (-a, -b) with getopts

→ Handling options with arguments

→ Error checking and default values with getopts

8: Advanced Argument Processing with getopt

→ Introduction to getopt

→ Differences between getopt and getopts

→ Understanding long options (--option) with getopt

→ Handling complex option scenarios (multiple options, options with arguments, etc.)

→ Implementing getopt in Scripts

→ Step-by-step implementation of getopt in a Bash script

→ Parsing and validating options with getopt

→ Handling option sequences and errors

→ Practical Example

→ Creating a script with both short and long options using getopt

→ Best practices for user-friendly command-line interfaces

9: Using set for Advanced Script Control

→ Understanding set in Bash

→ Overview of the set command and its purpose

→ Using set to change script behavior (e.g., set -e, set -x, set -u)

→ Using set with Command-Line Arguments

→ Resetting positional parameters with set

→ Shifting arguments using shift and set

→ Combining set with getopt and getopts for enhanced control

→ Advanced Techniques

→ Handling special cases (optional arguments, mixed short and long options)

→ Error trapping and debugging with set

→ Practical use cases and examples

10: Debugging and Optimization

→ Advanced Debugging Techniques

→ Using set options for debugging

→ Interactive debugging with bashdb

→ Tracing script execution

→ Script Optimization

→ Improving script performance

→ Memory and CPU usage optimization

→ Profiling and benchmarking Bash scripts

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