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From: allbery@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon Allbery)
Newsgroups: net.unix,net.unix-wizards
Subject: Aliases, functions and shell scripts
Message-ID: <909@ncoast.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Dec-85 19:34:45 EST
Article-I.D.: ncoast.909
Posted: Thu Dec  5 19:34:45 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Dec-85 02:56:27 EST
References: <1943@gatech.CSNET> <10@druri.UUCP> <21@pixdoc.UUCP>
Reply-To: allbery@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon Allbery)
Followup-To: net.unix
Organization: Cleveland Public Access UNIX, Cleveland, OH
Lines: 39
Xref: watmath net.unix:6556 net.unix-wizards:15996

Expires:

Quoted from <1453@lumiere.UUCP> ["Re: Bourne shell modifications, past and future"], by davest@lumiere.UUCP (Dave Stewart)...
+---------------
| 	I think most people who have both aliases and functions available
| use aliases as command-name macros and shell functions like programming
| language functions.  Well, the analogy isn't perfect, since one also
| has shell scripts to act as "functions", but I believe the concept is
| transferable.  Do I want to chuck out macros because I have functions
| available?  Heck no.
+---------------

The analogy you want is:

Shell				C
------------			------------
alias hi=echo "hello, $1"	#define hi(who) printf("hello, %s\n", who)

function hi {			hi(who)
	echo "hello, $1"	char *who; {
}					printf("hello, %s\n", who);
				}

cat > hi; chmod +x hi		if (fork())
echo "hello, $1"			wait(0);
^D				else
					execlp("hi", "hi", who, 0);


Take your pick.  As usual, each has advantages and disadvantages.  I don't
think cpp macros will soon disappear. . .

--Brandon
-- 

			Lord Charteris (thurb)

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