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Path: utzoo!utcs!lsuc!pesnta!hplabs!hpda!fortune!redwood!rpw3
From: rpw3@redwood.UUCP (Rob Warnock)
Newsgroups: net.unix
Subject: Re: getting the pid from the csh
Message-ID: <159@redwood.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-Feb-85 05:53:40 EST
Article-I.D.: redwood.159
Posted: Thu Feb 14 05:53:40 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 15-Feb-85 02:13:21 EST
References: <240@wanginst.UUCP> <402@lsuc.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: [Consultant], Foster City, CA
Lines: 25

+---------------
| ss@wanginst.UUCP (Sid Shapiro) writes:
| > So I cheerfully set off to try and figure out how to capture the pid
| > that is returned when you type foo&
| In sh, on the other hand, you need only type:	(foo&) 2>foo.pid
| Mark Brader
+---------------

In the Bourne Shell (either Edition 7 or 4.1bsd) the (parent) shell
variable "$!" contains the process number of the last background
process evoked. You don't need to write it into a file. Try:

	$ foo &
	$ ...		# anything but another background invocation
	$ echo $!

It works as documented. See "sh(1)".


Rob Warnock
Systems Architecture Consultant

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