What are best practices for using case statements in bash?

Case statements in Bash are a powerful tool for handling multiple conditions in a cleaner way than if-else statements. They can improve the readability of your scripts and make maintenance easier. Here are some best practices when using case statements in Bash.

  • Use quotes for string comparisons to avoid issues with whitespace or globbing.
  • Make sure to include a default case to handle unexpected values.
  • Organize cases logically to enhance readability.
  • Keep the patterns simple and straightforward to avoid confusion.
  • Document your case statements with comments for future reference.
#!/bin/bash read -p "Enter a day of the week: " day case $day in "Monday") echo "Start of the work week." ;; "Tuesday") echo "Second day of the work week." ;; "Wednesday") echo "Midweek day." ;; "Thursday") echo "Almost the weekend!" ;; "Friday") echo "End of the work week." ;; "Saturday"|"Sunday") echo "It's the weekend!" ;; *) echo "Invalid day entered." ;; esac

case statements bash scripting best practices bash scripts

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