How to check the first character in a string in Bash or UNIX shell?

Question

I\'m writing a script in UNIX where I have to check whether the first character in a string is \"/\" and if it is, branch.

For example I have a string:

/         


        

Answer 1

Consider the case statement as well which is compatible with most sh-based shells:

case $str in
/*)
    echo 1
    ;;
*)
    echo 0
    ;;
esac