Re: Spaces in Paths

[Linda W <cygwin at tlinx dot org>]

zzapper wrote:

> Hi,
> Mysql has now moved under c:/program files/
> My backup bash script will run correctly if I use the follwing syntax 
> /cygdrive/c/program\ files/mysql/MySQL\ Server\ 4.1/bin/mysqldump.exe $params
> However it doesn't work if I try to load the above into a variable
> eg
> mysqldump='/cygdrive/c/program\ files/mysql/MySQL\ Server\ 4.1/bin/mysqldump.exe'
> I get "/cygdrive/c/program\: No such file or directory..."
> Is this just hard luck?
----
   Basically you need to put double quotes around the $mysqldump
usage: "$mysqldump".

Here's an example function to detect argument parsing:
function sa () {
   if (($#==0)); then return; fi
   echo \"$1\"
   shift
   sub $*
}
--- first the args as they look when you manually type in the
backslashes -- note that the backslashes are removed.
/> sa /program\ files/mysql/MySQL\ Server\ 4.1/bin/mysqldump.exe
"/program files/mysql/MySQL Server 4.1/bin/mysqldump.exe"
Another way of getting same thing:
/> sa "/program files/mysql/MySQL Server 4.1/bin/mysqldump.exe"
"/program files/mysql/MySQL Server 4.1/bin/mysqldump.exe"

But if you assign to a variable, it loses the quotes when expanded:

/> foo="/program files/mysql/MySQL Server 4.1/bin/mysqldump.exe"
/> sa $foo
"/program"
"files/mysql/MySQL"
"Server"
"4.1/bin/mysqldump.exe"

What you want is to put quotes around the variable name:

/> sa "$foo"
"/program files/mysql/MySQL Server 4.1/bin/mysqldump.exe"

It's a minor "gotcha" catching those of us who were raised w/o
spaces in file names that has bitten me more than once, as well.

It should be a habit on linux, as well,as spaces can occur
there as well.

Linda





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