Bash error: syntax error near unexpected token `done'

Question

I wrote a really simple file explorer using ls with a shell script. I used a while loop to make the script run forever (until Ctrl+C), but the while loop doesn't seem to work. I get this error

./fileexplorer: line 5: syntax error near unexpected token `done'
./fileexplorer: line 5: `done'`

My code is this:

#!/bin/bash
ls -l $1
while :
    browse()
done

function browse()
{
    read file;
    if [ -f $file ]
        if test -e $file
            echo "Starting $file with nano."
            echo "Press a key to open the file."
            pause
            nano $file
    if test -d $file
        ls -l $file
}

paste your code in shellcheck.net

Jahid
– Jahid

2015-08-06 12:21:21 +00:00
Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 12:21 — Jahid
– Jahid, Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 12:21

paxdiablo · Accepted Answer · 2015-08-06 12:27:41Z

1

That's not the correct syntax, you need something like:

while CONDITION ; do
    ACTION
done

Without the do, the done is indeed unexpected. In addition, your if statements should be of the form:

if CONDITION ; then
    ACTION
fi

The bash man page shows the correct forms in more detail:

if list; then list; [ elif list; then list; ] ... [ else list; ] fi
while list-1; do list-2; done

Keep in mind those shown above are my preferred form, with the do/then on the same line as the while/if. You can also leave off the ; and move the do/then on to the next line but I consider that unnecessarily wasteful of screen real estate.

edited Aug 6, 2015 at 12:27

answered Aug 6, 2015 at 12:22

paxdiablo

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1 Comment

m654 Over a year ago

I fixed it but it still gives the same error. I changed it to "while True; do".

Raghav · Accepted Answer · 2015-08-14 04:06:35Z

0

Below script should work ..

#!/bin/bash

function browse()
{
    read file;
    if [ -f $file ]
    then
        if [ -e $file ]
        then
            echo "Starting $file with nano."
            echo "Press a key to open the file."
            sleep 2
            nano $file
        fi
    fi
    if [ -d $file ]
    then
        ls -l $file
     fi
}

ls -l $1

while true;do
browse
done

answered Aug 14, 2015 at 4:06

Raghav

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