4: Getting Started with Bash Scripting

November 8, 2023

Objective: The focus of this lab exercise is to familiarize yourself with the basics of bash scripting. This exercise will enable you to create and execute simple scripts to automate common tasks in a Linux environment.

Prerequisites

This lab exercise assumes that you've already completed Lab Exercises 1-3 but uses a different development environment than previous labs, namely GitHub Codespaces.

1. Sign in to your GitHub account

2. Navigate to the blank GitHub Codespaces template repository in your web browser

3. Select Use this template then click Create a new repository then populate the form with new repo name

   

   1. Make sure the repository is public

4. Click Create

5. Once your repository is created, click Code, select the Codespaces tab, then click Create codespace on main to open a simple development environment in your browser

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Main lab (15 points)

Read and/or work through the following chapters of Introduction To Bash Scripting using your freshly opened GitHub Codespace.

Make sure to commit changes to your repo as you work through each sub-section and merge changes once you're complete (or taking a break).

• Introduction to Bash scripting

• Bash Structure

• Bash Hello World

• Bash Variables

• Bash User Input

• Bash Comments

• Bash Arguments

• Bash Arrays

• Bash Conditional Expressions

• Bash Conditionals

• Bash Loops

• Bash Functions

• Debugging, testing and shortcuts

• Creating custom bash commands

• Write your first Bash script

Extra credit (5 points)

• Creating an interactive menu in Bash

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Deliverable

15 points (+5 points extra credit for a possible max of 20/15)

• Sign into Canvas

• Navigate to assignment 4 and share link to repo you created during this lab

• Click submit