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From: rouben@math9.math.umbc.edu (Rouben Rostamian)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell
Subject: Re: Finding the last arg
Keywords: Bourne shell arguments
Message-ID: <4744@umbc3.UMBC.EDU>
Date: 26 Dec 90 18:50:19 GMT
References: <18476@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Sender: newspost@umbc3.UMBC.EDU
Reply-To: rouben@math9.math.umbc.edu.UUCP (Rouben Rostamian)
Organization: Mathematics Department University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Lines: 22

In article <18476@shlump.nac.dec.com> lan_csse@netrix.nac.dec.com (CSSE LAN Test Account) writes:
 >What I've been trying to do is write a script whose semantics are sort of
 >like the cp/mv/ln commands, in that the last argument is special.  If it
 >is a directory, I want to do something different that amounts to appending
 >character strings to its name to give file name[s] within the directory;
 >if it is an ordinary file, I just want to use its name.
 >
 >The problem is that I can't figure out any Bourne-shell expression that
 >gives the last argument.  In C-shell, it's easy (argv[$#]).  But I need
 >to write Bourne shell scripts.

Here's what you need:
#!/bin/sh
eval lastarg=\${$#}
...etc...


--
Rouben Rostamian                            Telephone: (301) 455-2458
Department of Mathematics and Statistics    e-mail:
University of Maryland Baltimore County     bitnet: rostamian@umbc
Baltimore, MD 21228,  U.S.A.                internet: rostamian@umbc3.umbc.edu