need help with a script

[rikstah]

This is it right here, it looks simple enough, prolly too simple.

1. This script will create directories for a specific datatype. Example rickk, rik, rikky etc.
2. This script will aslo create subdirectories labeled by the duration of an event. For example if an event where to take place for 5 days, May 5 - 10th. Folders will be labled: 20100505, 20100506, 20100507, etc will be included in each datatype. Since this exercise will take 6 days there will be 6 subdirectories under each datatype.
3. This script will also create cgi scripts for each of the dataype and day of the the exercise. For example dataype "rik" for May 09 will read rik5.cgi, since May 09 is the 5th day of the exercise.

This is how it looks so far, it works great but I realized that if and when I plan to add more datatypes that its going to involve alot of repetivie typing. I figure to simplify this whole thing would be best to use loops. Can someone direct me to some good information concerning loops and sample of loops? I have a feeling that what I need to do is going to involve a nest of loops.

#!/bin/ksh


root_dir=/opt/global/webservices/apache/app/test/dynamic/
cd $root_dir

mkdir rickk
mkdir rik

data_dir=$root_dir/rickk
cd $data_dir

for i in 05 06 07 08 09 10
do
date_dir="201005"${i}
mkdir $data_dir/$date_dir
done

for d in 1 2 3 4 5 6
do
touch $data_dir${d}.cgi
done

data_dir=$root_dir/rik
cd $data_dir

for i in 05 06 07 08 09 10
do
date_dir="201005"${i}
mkdir $data_dir/$date_dir
done

for d in 1 2 3 4 5
do
touch $data_dir${d}.cgi
done

cd $root_dir
chmod 777 -R *

[apeekaboo]

You are already familiar with the the for-loop, I suggest you put all the create dir/file stuff in such a loop.
In the loop, test for the existence of the dirs/files before you try to create them.

Create a variable before the loop, containing the datatypes to loop over.
This could be a list such as "a b c", or perhaps users on the system, extracted from /etc/passwd, /home/* or whatever seems appropriate.

Replace you rick and rik with the new variable name.

I also think you'd want to check your touch command, and perhaps add a slash in between the dirname and filename?