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From: keesan@bbncca.ARPA (Morris Keesan)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards,net.unix
Subject: Re: Should shell command errors abandon subsequent commands?
Message-ID: <854@bbncca.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 20-Jul-84 15:08:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: bbncca.854
Posted: Fri Jul 20 15:08:28 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Jul-84 04:11:17 EDT
References: <8389@watmath.UUCP>
Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 19

-------------------------------

Shell command errors should NOT abandon subsequent commands, if the commands
are separated, as in the examples, by semicolons.  Semicolons should behave
exactly like newline.  This should be true regardless of whether the shell
is interactive (from the terminal) or running a script.

The separator ';' means "execute the first command, then execute the second."
The separator '&&' means "execute the first command, and if it succeeds (i.e.
    returns exit status 0) then execute the second."
The separator '||' means "execute the first command, and if it fails (returns
    non-zero exit status) then execute the second."

Given the availability of the && and || separators, there is no reason and no
excuse for the ; to imply any attention to the exit status.
-- 
			    Morris M. Keesan
			    {decvax,linus,ihnp4,wivax,wjh12,ima}!bbncca!keesan
			    keesan @ BBN-UNIX.ARPA