exporting variables outside of parenthesis.

[eldarion99]

I have inherited this wierd code, in which I execute a child script. I'm trying to pass back the return code, as follows:

#/bin/ksh
bunch of initialization stuff
integer saverc

(date
...
child_script.sh
saverc=$?
echo "saverc is $saverc" #produces saverc is 3
if [ $saverc -ne 0 ]
then
exit $saverc # this exits the parenthesis with a 3
fi


date
) 2>&1 > $LOGFILE

echo "saverc is $saverc" #produces saverc is 0

I've tried using an export of saverc both at the very top, and at the top of the parenthesis. Anybody know what I'm doing wrong? All responses are appreciated very much!!

Thanks.

 

[Salem]

Well () create a subshell of sorts, with basically a self-contained environment.

After this line

) 2>&1 > $LOGFILE

Put

saverc=$?

To re-save the exit status of the () enclosed subshell in your variable.

Here's a short example

#!/bin/ksh

(
  echo sub
  exit 2 # exit status from the () subshell
)
echo $?

 

[eldarion99]

That worked. Sometimes the answer is SO OBVIOUS you can't see it. Thank you very much.

Summary for anyone else who has this problem:

( ) - this is a "command grouping", in which all commands executed within the parenthesis are executed in a subshell. If you hit and exit stmt in the 3rd line out of 100 in the subshell, the end of the paren's will be reached at which point you can query the $? value to preserve your return code in the calling shell.

Thanks very much!