Bash Script error: [: missing ]

Question

#!/bin/bash
if [ `date +%u` -lt 6 && `date +%H` == '19' ] ; then
   echo 'Sorry, you cannot run this program today.'
else
   echo 'yes, you can run today'
fi

The script above is to run a program on weekdays and every 7PM. I have check the spaces and it still return error : date.sh: 2: [: missing ]

hek2mgl · Accepted Answer · 2013-04-22 03:18:31Z

6

Change it to:

#!/bin/bash
if [ `date +%u` -lt 6  ] && [ `date +%H` == '19' ] ; then
   echo 'Sorry, you cannot run this program today.'
else
   echo 'yes, you can run today'
fi

Note that the [ is just a shorthand for the test command and ] the last argument to it. The && operator is used like in any other command line, for example cd /home && ls

answered Apr 22, 2013 at 3:18

hek2mgl

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5 Comments

hek2mgl Over a year ago

I've tested the same code and it worked. Are you sure your shell is bash ? which bash version?

Shafiq Mustapa Over a year ago

sicksand@awalfathi:~$ echo $BASH_VERSION 4.2.25(1)-release

hek2mgl Over a year ago

me too. can you post the script you are currently trying to pastebin?

hek2mgl Over a year ago

awesome! this is the same as my - working - code. Make sure that there are no hidden chars like windows line feeds in the file

hek2mgl Over a year ago

If unsure use fromdos script.sh

Cairnarvon · Accepted Answer · 2013-04-22 03:21:25Z

5

There are two problems with your code.

The first is a simple typo: date %H should be date +%H.

The second is the cause of the error you're seeing: && isn't the right operator to use. It separates commands, whereas your if condition should really be a single one; bash looks for ] at the end of [ `date +%u` -lt 6, doesn't find it, and errors out. You want to use -a instead.

edited Apr 22, 2013 at 3:21

answered Apr 22, 2013 at 3:15

Cairnarvon

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2 Comments

Shafiq Mustapa Over a year ago

[code]#!/bin/bash if [ date +%u -lt 6 -a date +%H == '19' ] ; then echo 'Sorry, you cannot run this program today.' else echo 'yes, you can run today' fi [/code] return date.sh: 2: [: 13: unexpected operator

Cairnarvon Over a year ago

I don't know what you're doing wrong, but both my solution and @hek2mgl's are syntactically correct and work. The 13 it's complaining about is the result of date +%H; I can't imagine why.

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