Filenames with spaces in Bash script

[Chrisas]

I get a bunch of input files from a Windows data recorder. It produces file names with spaces everywhere. I am trying to write a script to process these files. This process involves several steps with multiple output files generated. I want to strip off the extension of the input file and use the name with different extensions for the output files.

Example: I can manually type the file names with ' ' and this works
for FILE in 'file 1' 'file 2' 'file 3'
do
stuff1 < ${FILE}.in > ${FILE}.out1
stuff2 < ${FILE}.in > ${FILE}.out2
done

Example: I try to automatically get filenames
for FILE in `ls -1 *.in | awk -F. '{ print $1; }'`
stuff1 < ${FILE}.in > ${FILE}.out1
stuff2 < ${FILE}.in > ${FILE}.out2
done
This fails because FILE contains file 1 file 2 file 3 and so the loop uses just "file" not "file 1".

Example: I tried to use awk to add ' ' around the file names, something like:
for FILE in `ls -1 *.in | awk -F. '{ print "\'", $1, "\'"; }'`
But no matter what I try I get a syntax failure.

Any ideas?
Thanks.

 

[Chrisas]

Solved: The fix was to use read in a while loop instead of using a for loop. I used variable substition instead of awk to separate the file name from the extension

ls -1 *.in | while read FILE
do
FI=${FILE%.in}
stuff1 < "${FI}.in" > "${FI}.out1"
stuff2 < "${FI}.in" > "${FI}.out2"
done

 

[quicknote]

As a scientist, it is important to understand the technicalities of file naming conventions in different operating systems. In this case, the issue is with filenames containing spaces, which can cause problems when writing a Bash script to process these files.

One potential solution could be to use the "find" command instead of "ls" to retrieve the file names. This will allow you to specify a delimiter for the file names, such as a null character, which can then be used to correctly parse the file names in your script.

Another option could be to use the "read" command to read the file names line by line and then use the "echo" command to add the necessary quotes around the file names before passing them to your script.

It is also important to consider the use of proper quoting and escaping when dealing with file names with spaces. This can help avoid syntax errors and ensure that the file names are correctly interpreted by the script.

In addition, it may be helpful to use a tool such as "printf" to format the file names before passing them to your script, as this can help to ensure that the file names are properly delimited and formatted for use in the script.

Overall, it may take some experimentation and trial and error to find the best solution for handling file names with spaces in a Bash script. But as a scientist, it is important to be persistent and find a solution that works effectively for your specific needs and data.