Shell: Update the Shell(5) manpage

This patchset adds the following to the manpage:
- Mention `if` expressions.
- Add section about subshells
- Mention that control structures can now be used as commands
- Update the grammar.
- Fix small header size mistake with "Example"'s being larger than their
  containing sections.
This commit is contained in:
AnotherTest 2020-09-08 15:23:32 +04:30 committed by Andreas Kling
parent 2488815bdb
commit 34d210ecf5
Notes: sideshowbarker 2024-07-19 02:48:25 +09:00

View file

@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ Evaluate expressions take the general form of a dollar sign (`$`) followed by so
## Commands
A `Command` is a single simple command, containing arguments and redirections for a single program. The shell can evaluate a sequence of commands, a conditional relation between commands, or various semantic elements composed of commands and intrinsics.
A `Command` is a single simple command, containing arguments and redirections for a single program, or a compound command containing a shell control structure. The shell can evaluate a sequence of commands, a conditional relation between commands, or various semantic elements composed of commands and intrinsics.
Commands can be either calls to Shell builtins, or external programs.
@ -143,15 +143,15 @@ echo foo; echo bar
### Logical Relations
A sequence of commands whose execution depends somehow on the result of another
##### `Command && Command && Command ...` (AND)
#### `Command && Command && Command ...` (AND)
Short-circuiting command evaluations, will cancel the entire chain should any command fails (have a non-zero exit code)
##### `Command || Command || Command ...` (OR)
#### `Command || Command || Command ...` (OR)
Short-circuiting command evaluation, will continue down the chain if any command fails.
It should be noted that `And` chains bind more tightly than `Or` chains, so an expression of the form `C1 && C2 || C3` is understood as "evaluate `C1`, if successful, evaluate `C2`, if not successful, evaluate `C3`".
#### Examples
##### Examples
```sh
# Create file if not found
test -f foo.txt || touch foo.txt
@ -160,7 +160,35 @@ test -f foo.txt || touch foo.txt
rm test && echo "deleted!" || echo "failed with $?"
```
#### Loops
#### Control Structures
##### Conditionals
Conditionals can either be expressed with the _Logical Relations_, or via explicit `if` expressions.
An `if` expression contains at least a _condition_ and a _then clause_, and optionally an _else clause_.
An _else clause_ may contain another `if` expression instead of a normal block.
The _then clause_ **must** be surrounded by braces, but the _else clause_ may also be another `if` expression, or missing.
An `if` expression evaluates either the _then clause_ or (if available) the _else clause_, based on the exit code of the _condition_; should the exit code be zero, the _then clause_ will be executed, and if not, the _else clause_ will.
###### Examples
```sh
# Remove a file if it exists, create it otherwise
if test -e the_file {
rm the_file
} else {
touch the_file
}
# Cond chain (if-elseif-else)
if A {
echo A
} else if B {
echo B
} else {
echo C
}
```
##### For Loops
For Loops evaluate a sequence of commands once per element in a given list.
@ -171,7 +199,7 @@ A for-loop evaluates the _sequence_ once per every element in the _expr_, seetti
The Shell shall cancel the for loop if two consecutive commands are interrupted via SIGINT (\^C), and any other terminating signal aborts the loop entirely.
#### Examples
###### Examples
```sh
# Iterate over every non-hidden file in the current directory, and prepend '1-' to its name.
$ for * { mv $it 1-$it }
@ -180,6 +208,16 @@ $ for * { mv $it 1-$it }
$ for i in $(seq 1 100) { echo $i >> foo }
```
##### Subshells
Subshells evaluate a given block in a new instance (fork) of the current shell process. to create a subshell, any valid shell code can be enclosed in braces.
###### Examples
```sh
# Run a block of code in the background, in a subshell, then detach it from the current shell
$ { for * { te $it } }&
$ disown
```
## Formal Grammar
### Shell Grammar
@ -188,7 +226,6 @@ toplevel :: sequence?
sequence :: variable_decls? or_logical_sequence terminator sequence
| variable_decls? or_logical_sequence '&' sequence
| variable_decls? control_structure terminator sequence
| variable_decls? or_logical_sequence
| variable_decls? terminator sequence
@ -206,10 +243,21 @@ variable_decls :: identifier '=' expression (' '+ variable_decls)? ' '*
pipe_sequence :: command '|' pipe_sequence
| command
| control_structure '|' pipe_sequence
| control_structure
control_structure :: for_loop
control_structure :: for_expr
| if_expr
| subshell
for_loop :: 'for' ws+ (identifier ' '+ 'in' ws*)? expression ws+ '{' toplevel '}'
for_expr :: 'for' ws+ (identifier ' '+ 'in' ws*)? expression ws+ '{' toplevel '}'
if_expr :: 'if' ws+ or_logical_sequence ws+ '{' toplevel '}' else_clause?
else_clause :: else '{' toplevel '}'
| else if_expr
subshell :: '{' toplevel '}'
command :: redirection command
| list_expression command?