CODEWITHSUNDEEP
bashif-statementvisual-studio-code
mhmmd-ysf
mhmmd-ysf

Reputation: 87

How to create dynamic alias (Conditional command) in bash?

I want to create shortcut for 'code file' (VS Code) if there's a second argument, or 'clear' if there's none in a single command line, but i don't know how the bash syntax works.

By looking at the mkcd (mkdir & cd) shortcut that i created:

function mkcd {
  if [ ! -n "$1" ]; then
    echo "Enter a directory name"
  elif [ -d $1 ]; then
    echo "\`$1' already exists"
  else
    mkdir $1 && cd $1
  fi
}

I tried to do the same, but the error shows 'syntax error near unexpected token `else''

function c {
  if $1 then 
    code $1
  else
    clear
  fi
}

Upvotes: 0

Views: 561

Answers (1)

Ed Morton
Ed Morton

Reputation: 203655

Your syntax error is that if $1 then is missing a semi-colon (e.g. if $1; then) but read on... There are no "shortcut"s in UNIX. There are scripts, functions, and aliases. It looks like you want to create a function named c to call some command named code when an argument is given, some other command named clear otherwise. That'd be:

c() {
    if (( $# > 0 )); then
        code "$*"
    else
        clear
    fi
}

Upvotes: 1

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