Introduction

This chapter will discuss methods for combining shell commands. You should already be familiar with executing single commands, like running the date command. In addition to simply typing a command and pressing Return , you have the ability to include options and parameters to the command.

Options to a command can be found in the HP-UX Reference under the description of the command. These options are usually preceded by a dash (-) and are separated from the command name, other options, and parameters by blanks. Parameters, or variables, are data the command needs to function properly. If you omit parameters from the ls command, the current directory is listed. But if you include a directory name (or path name) as a parameter, a listing of that directory is printed. Command syntax usually takes the following form: