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In a function, we wrap up a block of code that performs a particular task and that can be called from the later part of the code. In shell scripting, a function must be defined at the upper portion of the code before it is called.
Look at the below code where a function “addNumbers” is used to add two numbers and print the summation: save the following code as function_sum.sh
#!/usr/bin/env bash
#Functions to add two numbers
function addNumbers() {
local number1=10
local number2=50
local sum=$((number1+number2))
echo "Summation is: $sum"
}
#Call the function
addNumbers
Output:
$ bash function_sum.sh Summation is: 60
Function’s name generally starts with a “verb” (e.g.: sayHello, addNumbers, calculateBalance, etc) as we do/solve a task in a function.
We can write function name both in camelCase (e.g.: generateReport, start with lower case for the first word and then start with the upper case for the other words) or we can user underscore (e.g.: generate_report) to separate the words in a function name. Again, we can define a function with and without the “function” keyword.
Let’s see the following example: save the following code as function.sh
#!/usr/bin/env bash
#Function with function keyword
#Functions name starts with a verb
function sayHello() {
local NAME=$1
echo "Hello $NAME. Welcome to shellscripting."
}
#Function without function keyword
sayGoodbye() {
echo "Goodbye $1. See you later."
}
#Functions are invoked as normal shell command
echo "Calling the sayHello function with param"
sayHello Olive
echo "Calling the sayGoodbye function"
sayGoodbye Olivia
exit 0
Output:
$ bash function.sh
Calling the sayHello function with param
Hello Olive. Welcome to shellscripting.
Calling the sayGoodbye function
Goodbye Olivia. See you later.
Shell Script Function with Parameter(s):
We can pass parameters when we call a function.
$1, $2, $3,…, $N can be used to get all function parameters.
$0 often refers to the name of the shell script.
Let’s modify the “addNumbers” function and pass two numbers as parameters: save the following code as function_sum_with_param.sh
#!/usr/bin/env bash
#Functions to add two numbers
function addNumbers() {
#Getting the parameters' values and assign to number1 and number2
local number1=$1
local number2=$2
local sum=$((number1+number2))
echo "Summation is: $sum"
}
#Call the function and passing the parameter
addNumbers 10 50
Output:
$ bash function_sum_with_param.sh
Summation is: 60
Return value from a Shell Script Function:
We can also return a value from a function. Let’s modify again the “addNumbers” function to return a value: save the following code as function_sum_return_val.sh
#!/usr/bin/env bash
#Functions to add two numbers
function addNumbers() {
local number1=$1
local number2=$2
local sum=$((number1+number2))
#Returning the value,
#echo will act as a return statement if we call this function like below with $
echo "$sum"
}
#Call the function and passing the parameter, assiging the returned value to
#new variable summation
summation=$(addNumbers 10 50)
echo "Summation is: $summation"
Output:
$ bash function_sum_return_val.sh
Summation is: 60
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