Which keyword closes a `case` construct in a bash script?
LPIC-1 Exam 102-500, objective 105. Shells and shell scripting easy
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The options
Not correct done
Wrong. `done` closes a loop body opened by `do`, that is for, while and until.
Correct esac
Correct. `case WORD in ... esac`, with the opening keyword spelled backwards, the same joke as if/fi.
Not correct fi
Wrong. `fi` closes an `if` construct, after any elif and else branches.
Not correct ;;
Wrong as the closer of the whole construct, though it is real syntax: `;;` ends one individual pattern branch inside case, before the next pattern begins.
Why
A case block looks like: `case "$1" in start) do_start ;; stop) do_stop ;; *) echo usage ;; esac`. Patterns are glob patterns, not regular expressions, so `*` is the catch-all and `start|restart)` matches either word. Each branch ends with `;;` and the whole construct ends with `esac`.
Where this comes from
- Cited
- LPI exam objective 105.2
- What it says
- Use standard shell syntax such as loops and conditional branches in scripts.
Practise this
Reading one question is not practice. The trainer will draw a short set from objective 105 and space the ones you get wrong.
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