[Orca-users] orca 0.27 make error on Solaris 9

[Adam R Prato]

* Blair Zajac wrote on 30 Aug 2004:

> Adam R Prato wrote:
> 
> >* Blair Zajac wrote on 30 Aug 2004:
> >
> > 
> >
> >>This little test
> >>
> >>a="    "
> >>if test ! -z $a; then
> >>      echo not empty
> >>fi
> >>
> >>works fine using /bin/sh on Linux, but with Solaris' /bin/sh, I get this:
> >>
> >>test.sh: test: argument expected
> >>
> >>so it doesn't work.  I think the echo is the most portable, easy way to 
> >>solve this problem.
> >>
> >>Regards,
> >>Blair
> >>   
> >>
> >
> >if test ! -z "$a"; then
> > echo not empty
> >fi
> >
> >That should work everywhere.
> > 
> >
> 
> But then the test doesn't work the way you want it to.  Even if $a is "  
> ", then the code in the if then fi should not be run.  So using echo 
> handles this case.  Another way could be to use case, but then it 
> doesn't look as clean in the code.

Ahh, yes. Sure its portable, but "  " shouldnt be valid. I didnt think of that.

But in general putting quotes around variables is a safe way to avoid problems
with blank variables in test conditions.

Adam