help with shell scripting "syntax error near unexpected token"

BeansBeans

Hello.
I cannot for the life of me figure this out. It was all running fine until i added another while loop for the directory part, same as the first one. Then i removed the loop and started getting this error.

syntax error near unexpected token `fi'


I have an assignment to write a script to where the user specifies a file to copy then a directory to copy it to, if the directory doesnt exist create it.

the code is:


#!/bin/bash -x

while [ -z $file ]

do

echo "Please enter the name of the file you want to copy: "

read file

done

if [ -f $file ]

then

echo "Enter the directory you want to copy the file to:"

read subdirectory


elif [ ! -f $file ]

then

echo "$file does not exist. Please run the script again and enter a valid filename"
exit

fi

if [ -d $subdirectory ]

then

cp $file $subdirectory

elif

mkdir $subdirectory
cp $file

fi
exit



When i run it with bash -x

it goes down to entering the directory

+ ''
+ echo 'Enter the directory you want to copy the file to:'
Enter the directory you want to copy the file to:
+ read subdirectory

then i get

./assignment1.sh: line 42: syntax error near unexpected token `fi'
./assignment1.sh: line 42: `fi'

after i enter a directory


Starting to get panicky now, i have changed things around to no avail, i cannot understand what is wrong. Have to have the assignment done for saturday unfortunately.

Anyway thanks in advance for any help forthcoming

Eoin

It would really help if you indented your code.

Stupid question, but lines like these:

read subdirectory

Are these actual commands, or should they be comments?

Webmonkey

eoin wrote: »

It would really help if you indented your code.

Stupid question, but lines like these:

read subdirectory

Are these actual commands, or should they be comments?

read var - reads stdin to var so you can access via $var

However, at the end you used an elif instead of an else which expects a condition and a then

[B]elif[/B]
mkdir $subdirectory
cp $file

fi
exit

Btw, in future use code tags to encapsulate your code!

BeansBeans

Webmonkey wrote: »

read var - reads stdin to var so you can access via $var

However, at the end you used an elif instead of an else which expects a condition and a then

[B]elif[/B]
mkdir $subdirectory
cp $file

fi
exit

Btw, in future use code tags to encapsulate your code!

the code tags didnt work for me when i tried to preview or my brain is just gone down the toilet.

Thanks very much i cant believe i didnt see the elif there. Thats weird i dont get how i stuck that in there. too early in the morning i think.

Thank you.