How would I go about making a while loop execute on a remote sever and keep doing so until a specific # is met? I've tried this several different ways, using until, adding the dir after the "while". I'm probably missing something here.

blah="echo * | wc -w"
m=/tmp/read

ssh -f -t <hostname>

cd $m

while [ "$blah" = 40 ]
do
scp *.ask <hostname>:/tmp
sleep 40
done

TIA!!

Try :

while [ $blah = 40 ]

or

while [ "$($blzh)" = 40 ]

Thanks! The second while command worked.

Another question. Now this script should in theory scp all the files and exit the loop if $blah is = to 40 correct? Otherwise the script will continue in the loop scp'ing files if $blah is less than 40. I'm asking this because my script re-runs even if $blah is = to 40. Did I write this wrong?

TIA!

code:

blah="echo * | wc -w"
m=/tmp/read

ssh -f -t <hostname>

cd $m

while [ "$($blah)" = 40 ]
do
scp *.ask <hostname>:/tmp
sleep 40
done

exit 0

TIA!!

bump

The result of the 'echo *|wc -w' containts leading spaces before the count of words. If there are 40 files the resuly is ' 40' and not '40'.

Modify your test to make numic comparison :

Thanks! I made the changes you requested and got this:

<hostname> code
Begin code processing on\n Thu Mar 11 13:22:55 PST 2004

Authentication successful.
Copying files from <hostname>

code: blah: command not found
code: [: : integer expression expected
Copy Complete

end code processing on\n Thu Mar 11 13:38:28 PST 2004

-if I use 'until' instead of 'while' it gives the same errors, except it ends up scp'ing the files through and doesn't exit the loop.

bump

I've tried every one of the following: along with a few others.

while [ "$($blah) -eq 40 ]
while [ "$blah -eq 40" ]
while [ "$(blah) -eq 40 ]

and so on. With the while [ "$($blah) -eq 40 ] statement I received this error:

code: [: * | wc -w: integer expression expected
Copy Complete

It gives no error when I use 'eval' but it also does not copy anything over.

Replace '"$(eval $blah)" by $(echo * | wc -c) in your test.

Another solution is to create a function instead of using a variable:

FileCount() {
echo * | wc -c
}

while [ $(FileCount) -eq 40 ]

Execute your script with the -x option and analyze the result to determine where is the problem.