Bash Shell Script - Check for a flag and grab its value

Question

I am trying to make a shell script which is designed to be run like this:

script.sh -t application

Firstly, in my script I want to check to see

Answer 1

Here is a generalized simple command argument interface you can paste to the top of all your scripts.

#!/bin/bash

declare -A flags
declare -A booleans
args=()

while [ "$1" ];
do
    arg=$1
    if [ "${1:0:1}" == "-" ]
    then
      shift
      rev=$(echo "$arg" | rev)
      if [ -z "$1" ] || [ "${1:0:1}" == "-" ] || [ "${rev:0:1}" == ":" ]
      then
        bool=$(echo ${arg:1} | sed s/://g)
        booleans[$bool]=true
        echo \"$bool\" is boolean
      else
        value=$1
        flags[${arg:1}]=$value
        shift
        echo \"$arg\" is flag with value \"$value\"
      fi
    else
      args+=("$arg")
      shift
      echo \"$arg\" is an arg
    fi
done


echo -e "\n"
echo booleans: ${booleans[@]}
echo flags: ${flags[@]}
echo args: ${args[@]}

echo -e "\nBoolean types:\n\tPrecedes Flag(pf): ${booleans[pf]}\n\tFinal Arg(f): ${booleans[f]}\n\tColon Terminated(Ct): ${booleans[Ct]}\n\tNot Mentioned(nm): ${boolean[nm]}"
echo -e "\nFlag: myFlag => ${flags["myFlag"]}"
echo -e "\nArgs: one: ${args[0]}, two: ${args[1]}, three: ${args[2]}"

By running the command:

bashScript.sh firstArg -pf -myFlag "my flag value" secondArg -Ct: thirdArg -f

The output will be this:

"firstArg" is an arg
"pf" is boolean
"-myFlag" is flag with value "my flag value"
"secondArg" is an arg
"Ct" is boolean
"thirdArg" is an arg
"f" is boolean


booleans: true true true
flags: my flag value
args: firstArg secondArg thirdArg

Boolean types:
    Precedes Flag(pf): true
    Final Arg(f): true
    Colon Terminated(Ct): true
    Not Mentioned(nm): 

Flag: myFlag => my flag value

Args: one => firstArg, two => secondArg, three => thirdArg

Basically, the arguments are divided up into flags booleans and generic arguments. By doing it this way a user can put the flags and booleans anywhere as long as he/she keeps the generic arguments (if there are any) in the specified order.

Allowing me and now you to never deal with bash argument parsing again!

You can view an updated script here

This has been enormously useful over the last year. It can now simulate scope by prefixing the variables with a scope parameter.

Just call the script like

replace() (
  source $FUTIL_REL_DIR/commandParser.sh -scope ${FUNCNAME[0]} "$@"
  echo ${replaceFlags[f]}
  echo ${replaceBooleans[b]}
)

Doesn't look like I implemented argument scope, not sure why I guess I haven't needed it yet.