Haveing trouble useing a variable as a command

[dman7777777]

I am a computer operator and I tend a AIX server with Unix usenig the Korn Shell. I have trouble makeing a variable and useing it as a command. For instance, I can make the variable...like this: A=(ls -lt | head) and if I echo it out it shows what is inside the variable. But if I use it as a command....$A...I do not get the desirable results. What am I doing wrong and how can I make a variable that the system will recognize as a command and not just text?

 

[p5wizard]

It doesn't work because of the embedded pipe symbol..
By the time the shell has come to the stage of expanding variable values, it has forgotten about pipes and the links it needs to set up between the subcommands...

Try this instead:

A='ls -lt|head'
eval $A


HTH,

p5wizard

 

[RodKnowlton]

Or you could use an alias, which will handle the pipe properly.

alias A='ls -lt | head'

-Rod


IBM Certified Advanced Technical Expert pSeries and AIX 5L
CompTIA Linux+
CompTIA Security+

Wish you could view posts with a fixed font? Got Firefox & Greasemonkey? Give yourself the option.

 

[p5wizard]

If you go for aliases, remember that you use the alias name as a command (without the dollar sign).

# alias A='ls -lt|head'
# A
<output from ls -lt|head command>
...
#

HTH,

p5wizard