What does "echo $?" return.. 1

[krickb]

This is a simplification of my recent question:
I really want to know what is "echo $?" returning.
I get a 0 when all is well, but I have seen a 1, or a 12 also. They do not seem to be unix return codes.
I am executing a microfocus cobol program that has been compiled on Unix with the Pro-c Compiler.
Thanks

 

[danielhozac]

It depends on the program you are executing. Look in the source of the COBOL program to see what the return codes mean, or perhaps

man program

would tell you.

//Daniel

 

[krickb]

Daniel,
I have tried that already, I am fairly certain it is not a unix return code..
It is not in man. I just wondered if it was a common unix command or if it is unique to the compiler?
Thanks for your input though!

 

[danielhozac]

What command did you run before

echo $?

?
The return value is specified by the program, not the compiler or anything else.

//Daniel

 

[bi]

If you are fairly certain it is not a unix return code, why don't you ask this question in one of the cobol forums?????

 

[krickb]

I ran the cobol program i.e. CMPBDDYB
The program runs successfully..but when I enter echo $?
I get a 12.

 

[krickb]

I just want to rule out unix as the cause... is "echo $?"
a common unix command? (I know that echo is, but what does $? mean?
Sorry if these questions seem stupid..I don't have much experience with unix and cobol together.
Thanks
KB

 

[bi]

echo $? is a command to give you the exit status of the last command.

0 usually means success. 1 means failure. other returns depend on the process that didn't succeed. In your case, it looks like it is cobol??

 

[krickb]

Thanks very much bi...that is what I am looking for!
KB

 

[bi]

Thank you.

I had seen that echo $? before. My Unix in a Nutshell book isn't with me now so I had to do a google to get the right meaning. The echo $? is for the Bourne shell. C shell uses something a little more logical: echo $status.

 

[Chacalinc]

Try 3 scripts (a C program or whatever) with the last line:

1. exit 0 (or return 0 in a C program)
2. exit 1 (or return 1 in a C program)
3. exit 3 (or return 3 in a C program)

run each script and after each issue a echo $?....

you will see what "echo $?" does.

 

[krickb]

Thanks..

that helps alot!

KB