Subject: return vs. exit
To: None <netbsd-help@netbsd.org>
From: Lubos Vrbka <shnek@chemi.muni.cz>
List: netbsd-help
Date: 03/27/2003 13:14:58
hi guys,
i've following question - what's the general difference between
exit [value]
and
return [value]
in shell script (/bin/sh). i'm not sure. is it:
exit - abort processing of the whole script
return - abort processing of the innermost cycle/operation (i.e. abort
currently processed while, for, case)
or do they have almost the same effect? i've shellscript that's calling
other shellscripts and i want to handle errors by myself - but i don't
know whether i should use exit or return to get back to the script above
with the proper error code...
i was trying to look in man, but there's only
exit(3) - c-function; return (tcl-built in); man sh tells me, that
return terminates the currently executing function - but i don't know
whether it's the whole shellscript or just a small part; he same applies
to exit, that terminates the shell process...
thanks for help.
regards,
lubos
--
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Lubos Vrbka
National Centre for Biomolecular Research
Masaryk university, Brno, Czech Republic
shnek@chemi.muni.cz
http://www.chemi.muni.cz/~shnek
tel. +420 541 129 508
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