Bash Scripting – How to Pass Parameters to Functions

bashfunctionparametersyntax

I'd like to write a function that I can call from a script with many different variables. For some reasons I'm having a lot of trouble doing this. Examples I've read always just use a global variable but that wouldn't make my code much more readable as far as I can see.

Intended usage example:

#!/bin/bash
#myscript.sh
var1=$1
var2=$2
var3=$3
var4=$4

add(){
result=$para1 + $para2
}

add $var1 $var2
add $var3 $var4
# end of the script

./myscript.sh 1 2 3 4

I tried using $1 and such in the function, but then it just takes the global one the whole script was called from. Basically what I'm looking for is something like $1, $2 and so on but in the local context of a function. Like you know, functions work in any proper language.

Best Answer

To call a function with arguments:

function_name "$arg1" "$arg2"

The function refers to passed arguments by their position (not by name), that is $1, $2, and so forth. $0 is the name of the script itself.

Example:

#!/bin/bash

add() {
    result=$(($1 + $2))
    echo "Result is: $result"
}

add 1 2

Output

./script.sh
 Result is: 3

Related Solutions

When to Use Alias, Script, or Function in Bash

An alias should effectively not (in general) do more than change the default options of a command. It is nothing more than simple text replacement on the command name. It can't do anything with arguments but pass them to the command it actually runs. So if you simply need to add an argument at the front of a single command, an alias will work. Common examples are

# Make ls output in color by default.
alias ls="ls --color=auto"
# make mv ask before overwriting a file by default
alias mv="mv -i"

A function should be used when you need to do something more complex than an alias but that wouldn't be of use on its own. For example, take this answer on a question I asked about changing grep's default behavior depending on whether it's in a pipeline:

grep() { 
    if [[ -t 1 ]]; then 
        command grep -n "$@"
    else 
        command grep "$@"
    fi
}

It's a perfect example of a function because it is too complex for an alias (requiring different defaults based on a condition), but it's not something you'll need in a non-interactive script.

If you get too many functions or functions too big, put them into separate files in a hidden directory, and source them in your ~/.bashrc:

if [ -d ~/.bash_functions ]; then
    for file in ~/.bash_functions/*; do
        . "$file"
    done
fi

A script should stand on its own. It should have value as something that can be re-used, or used for more than one purpose.

Bash Function – Using Optional Parameters

function svcp() { 
    msg=${3:-dev branch for $2}
    svn copy "repoaddress/branch/$1.0.x" "repoaddress/branch/dev/$2" -m "$msg";
}

the variable msg is set to $3 if $3 is non-empty, otherwise it is set to the default value of dev branch for $2. $msg is then used as the argument for -m.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

When to Use Alias, Script, or Function in Bash

Bash Function – Using Optional Parameters

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