find -exec How to add additional parameter when calling a funtion

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

Hello

Current working script is :

#
# my_script  BEGIN
#

function a_function {

FIRST_PARAM="$1"

DO_SOMETHING "$FIRST_PARAM"

}

export -f  a_function

START_HERE="/home/some_user/Documents"
find $START_HERE"  -exec bash -c 'a_function "$0" ' {}   \;

#
# my_script  END
#

What I need is to have two more parameters in the called function :

#
# my_script_not working  BEGIN
#

function a_function {

FIRST_PARAM="$1"
SECOND_PARAM="$2"
THIRD_PARAM="$3"

DO_SOMETHING "$FIRST_PARAM" "$SECOND_PARAM" "$THIRD_PARAM"

}

export -f  a_function

START_HERE="/home/some_user/Documents"
VARIABLE_1="VALUE_1"
VARIABLE_2="VALUE_2"

find $START_HERE"  -exec bash -c 'a_function "$0" ' {}  "$VARIABLE_1"   "$VARIABLE_2" \;

#
# my_script_not working   END
#

I have tried to replace " by '
I have tried to remove or not "$0"
I have tried to put "$VARIABLE_1" "$VARIABLE_2" before or after {}

Any help is welcome

2

Check your quoting... i.e. double quote the entire construct.

3

I tried different things but no way.

#find $START_HERE" -exec bash -c 'a_function "$0" {}  $VARIABLE_1  $VARIABLE_2' \; 

#find $START_HERE" -exec bash -c 'a_function {}  $VARIABLE_1  $VARIABLE_2' \; 

#find $START_HERE" -exec bash -c 'a_function ' "$VARIABLE_1" "$VARIABLE_2" _ {} \; 

#find $START_HERE" -exec bash -c 'a_function  "$0" "$VARIABLE_2"  "$VARIABLE_1"'  _ {} \; 

#find $START_HERE" -exec bash -c 'a_function {}  "$VARIABLE_2"  "$VARIABLE_1"' \; 

#find $START_HERE" -exec bash -c 'a_function '  "{} $VARIABLE_2  $VARIABLE_1" \;

#find $START_HERE" -exec bash -c 'a_function  "$VARIABLE_2"  "$VARIABLE_1"'  __ {}  \;

#find $START_HERE" -exec bash -c 'a_function  "$0" '  "{}  $VARIABLE_2  $VARIABLE_1" \;

#find $START_HERE" -exec bash -c 'a_function  '  "{}  $VARIABLE_2  $VARIABLE_1" \;

#find $START_HERE" -exec bash -c 'a_function  '  {}  "$VARIABLE_2"  "$VARIABLE_1"  \;

#find $START_HERE" -exec bash -c 'a_function  '  "$VARIABLE_2"  "$VARIABLE_1"  {}  \;

#find $START_HERE"  -exec bash -c 'a_function  "$0" ' {}  "$VARIABLE_1"   "$VARIABLE_2" \;
4

Hi.

Does this demonstration help?

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# @(#) s1       Demonstrate calling function from find -exec.

# Utility functions: print-as-echo, print-line-with-visual-space, debug.
# export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
LC_ALL=C ; LANG=C ; export LC_ALL LANG
pe() { for _i;do printf "%s" "$_i";done; printf "\n"; }
pl() { pe;pe "-----" ;pe "$*"; }
em() { pe "$*" >&2 ; }
db() { ( printf " db, ";for _i;do printf "%s" "$_i";done;printf "\n" ) >&2 ; }
db() { : ; }
C=$HOME/bin/context && [ -f $C ] && $C

function a_function {

FIRST_PARAM="$1"
SECOND_PARAM="$2"
THIRD_PARAM="$3"
fourth="$4"

echo DO_SOMETHING "$FIRST_PARAM" "$SECOND_PARAM" "$THIRD_PARAM" "$fourth"

}

pl " Current files f?:"
echo f?

export -f  a_function

START_HERE="/home/some_user/Documents"
VARIABLE_1="VALUE_1"
VARIABLE_2="VALUE_2"

pl " Results:"
# find $START_HERE"  -exec bash -c 'a_function "$0" ' {}  "$VARIABLE_1"   "$VARIABLE_2" \;
find .  -name 'f?' -exec bash -c "a_function $0 {}  $VARIABLE_1 $VARIABLE_2" \;

producing:

$ ./s1

Environment: LC_ALL = C, LANG = C
(Versions displayed with local utility "version")
OS, ker|rel, machine: Linux, 3.16.0-4-amd64, x86_64
Distribution        : Debian 8.9 (jessie) 
bash GNU bash 4.3.30

-----
 Current files f?:
f1 f2 f3

-----
 Results:
DO_SOMETHING ./s1 ./f1 VALUE_1 VALUE_2
DO_SOMETHING ./s1 ./f2 VALUE_1 VALUE_2
DO_SOMETHING ./s1 ./f3 VALUE_1 VALUE_2

I used local directory with only f* files for brevity.

Best wishes ... cheers, drl

1 Like
5

Ok that the trick.
But I have read that it is a bad idea to put {} between quote inside the caller ?

The following work also but the data return by {} is found at $0 in the function.

find .  -name 'f?' -exec bash -c "a_function  $VARIABLE_1 $VARIABLE_2"  {} \;

As far you know that, it is not a problem.

Thank you very much for helping.

6

Hi, jcdole

You're welcome.

Where did you see this? The reading I have done suggests that {} may need to be placed within quotes to protect them from evaluation by the shell that is running the find command.

Best wishes ... cheers, drl