Scenario: I have a file with each line containg filenames. i.e. '{dirname}/Oct Reports'
Problem: The shell reads each line as two verables due to the space.
Script:
#!/bin/sh
for i in `cat file`
do
echo $i
done
Output:
'{dirname}/Oct
Reports'
Tried enclosing filename in single quotes, double quotes, backslash before space, two backslash before space.
please advise if you know where I am going wrong..

Surfon

Answered my own question by searching this site further and applying a similar task to this one.
Code that worked for me eventually:

cat outfile | while read l
do
echi $l
done

Any other ideas welcome though.

You can overcome the space issue by setting IFS to a value other than whitespace.

e.g.

IFS=#; for i in $(cat outfile); do...

Also, in your example, you needn't use 'cat'.

while read l
do
echi $l
done < outfile

HTH

Thanks for the solution, I have had the same problem last week.
But I don´t find the right words for asking here.

Greetings from Germany
Peter F.

Damian Ibbotson, thanks, that is why you are a guru.
For us wannabies..Can you expand a litlle on what IFS=# is declaring...

Muchos Grazias

IFS (Internal Field Seperator) is an environment variable which is normally a space, a tab and a newline. The shell uses individual characters found in the IFS variable to separate fields (surprisingly enough!). IFS=# is simply setting the value of the variable to a # character.

You can see this in action if you try the following:

IFS=#; set Hello World; echo "$*"

If you only wanted to alter IFS for the cat command, you would do...

for i in $(IFS=# cat outfile); do

PS - I'm really not a 'guru'. I think you can interpret that as meaning 'prolific poster' and not much else!

Hi, I thought I let you know of further hassles I had.
The echo works fine but if I try to tar copy the file to another volume I have endless problems. and more errors when deleting origional. Here is what didnt work... I tried a combo of them.
#for i in $(IFS=# cat $out)
#IFS=#; for i in $(cat $out)
#IFS=#; for i in $( -name "*.xls" -printf "\"%p\" ");
#for i in $(IFS=# find /usr4/data -mtime +2457 -name "*.xls" -printf "%p ");
#(cd / && tar cf - $(IFS=# find /usr4/data -mtime +2457 -name "*.xls" -printf "\"%p\" "))|(cd $todir; tar xfBp -)
#do
# echo $i
#get dirname
# copy data with tar
#(tar cf - "$i")| (cd $todir; tar xfBp -)
#(IFS=# && tar cf - "$i")| (cd $todir; tar xfBp -)
#remove origional
#IFS=#; rm "$i"
#done

BUT THIS IS WHAT WORKED IN THE END....

#!/bin/bash
todir='/usr4/history/working'
# list of files used with `find /usr4/data -mtime +2457 `
out= "outdile1997"
while read bla
do
echo $bla
(tar cf - "$bla")| (cd $todir; tar xfBp -)
#IFS=# ;rm $bla
done < $out

It Simply amases me how verious loops work in shells and I take my hat off to anyone who truly understands them. for, foreach, while, case ....and,and,and...

I must say a thankyou to Damian Ibbotson. Cheers

Stephan