The "if ( -e filename )" blues...

[Tom Christiansen]

>From the keyboard of eas at turing.acs.virginia.edu (Edward A. Schwab):
:Help!  I'm trying to run a simple csh shell file that sets $OUT.out to an
:output filename and $PROG to a program name, will search for $OUT.out, and
:delete it...  I'm trying to do an "if ( -e $OUT.out ) set x=$<", which will
:wait for an ENTER before continuing with the program...  The only thing is
:that the "if ( -e )" statement (that searches for the existance of the file)
:runs if there is an actual $OUT.out file or not...  **sigh**  How can I make
:this wait for an enter keypress ONLY if $OUT.out exists???  All of the other
:if -e's work (the echos and the rm...)  BTW, the actual executable is called
:.$PROG; this is called up by $PROG...  :)

you need to say

if (-e foo) then
    set x = "$<"
endif

so it doesn't try to eval the $< even when it doesn't need to.

:
:I hope this message makes SOME sense when you look at the actual shell script
:below:
:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
:#!/bin/csh

you forgot the -f.  

:setenv OUT for005
:setenv PROG asymtc1

now you have a WHOLE LOT of -e's.  why don't you just do one and make 
a block and save a lot of stat's, plus the $< headache?

there's nothing in this script demanding csh.  why don't you do yourself
a favor and use sh?  it sure beats a boot to the head, which is all
csh will ever give you.

--tom
--
Tom Christiansen		tchrist at convex.com	convex!tchrist
		"So much mail, so little time."