Myujth

I have the following script I wrote by searching Google, and it backs up my Linux system to an archive:

#!/bin/bash
# init

DATE=$(date +20%y%m%d)

tar -cvpzf /share/Recovery/Snapshots/$HOSTNAME_$DATE.tar.gz --exclude=/proc --exclude=/lost+found --exclude=/sys --exclude=/mnt --exclude=/media --exclude=/dev --exclude=/share/Archive /

This works, but I am wondering if I can format the script to show the command over multiple lines, something like this, so it is easy to edit later:

tar -cvpzf /share/Recovery/Snapshots/$HOSTNAME_$DATE.tar.gz 
--exclude=/proc 
--exclude=/lost+found 
--exclude=/sys 
--exclude=/mnt 
--exclude=/media 
--exclude=/dev 
--exclude=/share/Archive 
/

That way it is easier to read and edit later. Is it possible to format a Bash script this way?

All you should need to do is add "" at the end of each line and it should be good to go.

So yours will look like:

tar -cvpzf /share/Recovery/Snapshots/$(hostname)_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz 
 --exclude=/proc 
 --exclude=/lost+found 
 --exclude=/sys 
 --exclude=/mnt 
 --exclude=/media 
 --exclude=/dev 
 --exclude=/share/Archive 
 /

A Few Shortcuts

(based on your comment update for setting $HOSTNAME)

$HOSTNAME

Two options to set that:

1. 
   

   Set HOSTNAME

   
   
   

   
   

   HOSTNAME=$(hostname)

   
   

   
   


2. 
   

   Use command substitution (e.g. $(command))

   
   
   

   So it would look like above. That just makes the command run before using it.

   
   

$DATE

Another variable avoided would be easily:

$(hostname)_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz 

$ man date will have the formats for the date options, the above is YYYYmmdd

Use the backslash to continue a command on the next line:

tar -cvpzf /share/Recovery/Snapshots/$HOSTNAME_$DATE.tar.gz 
--exclude=/proc 
--exclude=/lost+found 
--exclude=/sys 
--exclude=/mnt 
--exclude=/media 
--exclude=/dev 
--exclude=/share/Archive 
/

The same command, but with comments for each line, would be:

tar -cvpzf /share/Recovery/Snapshots/$(hostname)_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz `#first comment` 
 --exclude=/proc `#second comment` 
 --exclude=/lost+found `# and so on...` 
 --exclude=/sys 
 --exclude=/mnt 
 --exclude=/media 
 --exclude=/dev 
 --exclude=/share/Archive 
 /