How to debug Linux Bash shell script?

[JiafanZhou]

I am wondering is there a debugger available for Bash Shell script???

I only use vi when programming bash shell script, and I also wonder is there a good editor (plus debugger)?

Thanks in advance.

[drl]

Hi.

Usually, I use:

1) echo, print, printf, sometimes as a capability to be toggled on / off.

2) option -x, or -vx, essentially a trace:

bash -x shell-script-file-name arguments

try it with a hello, world script.

There is a bash debugger written in shell code, see the reference below ... cheers, drl

Title: Learning the bash Shell
Author: Cameron Newham
Edition: Third
Date: 2005
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596009658
Pages: 376
Categories: bash, scripting, unix, linux, shell, programming
Comments: 4 stars, 27 reviews ( Amazon 2007.08 )
Comments: ( I have 2nd edition, 1998 )
Comments: "bashdb", bash debugger, Chapter 9.

[i92guboj]

You can as well add self-contained code for debug purposes. I sometimes just implement it like this:

#!/bin/bash
#blah blah blah ....
#Uncomment this to turn on debugging stuff
#DEBUG=yes
....
....
....
[ -n "$DEBUG" ] && echo "My debug info, \$var1 value is \"$var1\""
...
...
...

It's handy sometimes, just uncomment the DEBUG var and the debug sentences will be run. Comment it out again, and no debug messages/commands will be shown/executed.

[JiafanZhou]

Great, I will have a look at the debugger written in the shell code as mentioned above.

Ideally, I am looking for a shell debugger in a GUI form, which I can set a break point as other programming debugging tool. Run the shell script and the program would be stopped at that break point. Resume, step in or out from a function, etc....

Thanks,
Jiafan