Query MySQL database from a bash script

Question

I'm new to bash scripting and I am practicing with some simple scripts. I am creating a script that connects to a MySQL database, executes a query and echo the results. This is what I have so far but I am being given this frustrating error:

./testsql: line 22: syntax error near unexpected token `queryConfig="mysql -uroot -p1234 test"'
./testsql: line 22: `queryConfig="mysql -uroot -p1234 test"'

This is the function inside my script.

function testFunction{
queryConfig="mysql -uroot -p1234 test"
hello=`$queryConfig"SELECT * FROM test_accounts;"`
echo "Result = " $hello
}

Ok I know that ideally I should not pass the username and password into the script but rather use a config.sh which can then be included in the script. Also it is not ideal to use the root. But here the important thing is that I understand where is the sytax error and why is the interpreter complaining. Once I get this work I can create a config.sh and variables accordingly. Thanks.

jai dutt · Accepted Answer · 2016-11-02 15:51:35Z

1

try this

var=$(mysql database -u $user -p$password<<<"SELECT * FROM test_accounts")

answered Nov 2, 2016 at 15:51

jai dutt

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Comments

dimo414 · Accepted Answer · 2016-11-02 17:25:29Z

This error:

./testsql: line 22: syntax error near unexpected token `queryConfig="mysql -uroot -p1234 test"'

Says that line 22 of your Bash script has a syntax error (i.e. it isn't valid Bash). The parser doesn't think you can do a variable assignment here. But why?

The issue is in the line above:

function testFunction{

Bash is very whitespace-sensitive, and you're missing a space between your function name and the { character. Try adding a space and you'll resolve this syntax error.

There are other issues in your script (beyond the security concerns you mention) that I'll touch on briefly:

Avoid using backticks, prefer $(...) for command substitution. It's easier to read and works better when you start nesting substitutions inside each other.
Pay attention to whitespace, e.g. your next line
```
hello=`$queryConfig"SELECT * FROM test_accounts;"`
```
Will execute the command
```
mysql -uroot -p1234 testSELECT * FROM test_accounts;
```
Notice the testSELECT there - you're missing a space.
Pay attention to quoting. Quoting in Bash is hard, but it's important to get right. There are some good best-practices to internalize that makes working with quotes in Bash a lot easier.

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