Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!convex!news
From: tchrist@convex.COM (Tom Christiansen)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell
Subject: Re: One line If-then-else block in csh possible?
Keywords: csh programming
Message-ID: <1991Feb17.164957.612@convex.com>
Date: 17 Feb 91 16:49:57 GMT
References: <1991Feb13.180658.16244@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> <1991Feb16.142134.19813@convex.com>
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Reply-To: tchrist@convex.COM (Tom Christiansen)
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Organization: CONVEX Software Development, Richardson, TX
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From the keyboard of tchrist@convex.COM (Tom Christiansen):
:From the keyboard of harichan@eecae.uucp (Ronald Harichandran):
::Is it possible to have an if-then-else-endif block on a single line?
:
:You can often  work something out using /bin/test and the short-circuit
:booleans:
:
:    [ some test ] && success || failure
:

As was so kindly pointed out to me in private, that doesn't work.

If the "success" command fails, then the "failure" command will
be executed, which isn't what was asked for.  So to guarantee
that success always succeeds, add a subshell (gag) and append
a gratuitous true:

    [ some test ] && (success || true) || failure

Maybe it's time to switch shells so you can code your if's the 
way they were Meant to be. :-(

    if [ some test ] ; then success_cmd; else failure_cmd; fi

--tom
--
Tom Christiansen		tchrist@convex.com	convex!tchrist
 "All things are possible, but not all expedient."  (in life, UNIX, and perl)