Creating script within a script

[moddinati]

Hello,

I'm trying to create a shell script that creates other shell scripts. For example I have the following code within my main script

#Make script to run DFC
cat > run_dfc.sh << EOS
#!/bin/bash
## ------------------------------------------------------------
# User defined functions
# ------------------------------------------------------------
usage () {
        echo
        echo "Usage: `basename $0` <numClusters>"
        echo
}

# ------------------------------------------------------------
# Check command-line arguments
# ------------------------------------------------------------
if [ $# != 3 ]; then
        usage
        exit 1
fi

C=$3
L=$1
N=$2

./dfc_lac --nproc $num_processors --stats $stats $filename $C
EOS
chmod +x run_dfc.sh

the problem is certain variables, such as those like $#,$1,$2, etc. are replaced with the values of those in the main script. Is there a way I can actually have the exact phrase "$#" or "$1" in my second script.

for example, when I actually run my main script, the sub-script that gets created is

#!/bin/bash
## ------------------------------------------------------------
# User defined functions
# ------------------------------------------------------------
usage () {
        echo
        echo "Usage: runOnce.sh <numClusters>"
        echo
}

# ------------------------------------------------------------
# Check command-line arguments
# ------------------------------------------------------------
if [ 5 != 3 ]; then    <--------this should be "$# != 3"
        usage
        exit 1
fi

C=10000   <--------this should be "C=$3"
L=CS_002  
N=2            

./dfc_lac --nproc 20 --stats 6 CS_002_10000_rev0

thanks in advance for the help

[moddinati]

Found the solution:

#Make script to run DFC
cat > run_dfc.sh << EOS
#!/bin/bash
## ------------------------------------------------------------
# User defined functions
# ------------------------------------------------------------
usage () {
        echo
        echo "Usage: `basename $0` <numClusters>"
        echo
}

# ------------------------------------------------------------
# Check command-line arguments
# ------------------------------------------------------------
if [ \$# != 3 ]; then
        usage
        exit 1
fi

C=\$3
L=\$1
N=\$2

./dfc_lac --nproc $num_processors --stats $stats $filename $C
EOS
chmod +x run_dfc.sh

[scm]

I'd use echo to generate the file, not cat and then you can use single-quoting to hide all the variables without having to do every one individually

echo >run_dfc.sh '#!/bin/bash
stuff
more stuff
echo $HOME
echo $PWD
last stuff'

Saves exec-ing a process, too.