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5.4. Expressions

Expressions are used in @ (the C shell math operator), if, and while statements to perform arithmetic, string comparisons, file testing, etc. exit and set can also specify expressions. Expressions are formed by combining variables and constants with operators that resemble those in the C programming language. Operator precedence is the same as in C. It is easiest to just remember the following precedence rules:

  • * / %

  • + -

  • Group all other expressions inside () s; parentheses are required if the expression contains <, <, &, or |

5.4.1. Operators

Operators can be one of the following types.

5.4.1.1. Assignment operators

OperatorDescription
=Assign value.
+= -=Reassign after addition/subtraction.
*= /= %=Reassign after multiplication/division/remainder.
&= ^= |=Reassign after bitwise AND/XOR/OR.
++Increment.
--Decrement.

5.4.1.2. Arithmetic operators

OperatorDescription
* / %Multiplication; integer division; modulus (remainder).
+ -Addition; subtraction.

5.4.1.3. Bitwise and logical operators

OperatorDescription
~Binary inversion (one's complement).
!Logical negation.
<< >>Bitwise left shift; bitwise right shift.
&Bitwise AND.
^Bitwise exclusive OR.
|Bitwise OR.
&&Logical AND (short-circuit).
||Logical OR (short-circuit).
{ command }

Return 1 if command is successful; 0 otherwise. Note that this is the opposite of command's normal return code. The $status variable may be more practical.

5.4.1.4. Comparison operators

OperatorDescription
== !=Equality; inequality.
<= >=Less than or equal to; greater than or equal to.
< >Less than; greater than.
=~

String on left matches a filename pattern containing *, ?, or [...].

!~

String on left does not match a filename pattern containing *, ?, or [...].

5.4.1.5. File inquiry operators

Command substitution and filename expansion are performed on file before the test is performed.

OperatorDescription
-d fileThe file is a directory.
-e fileThe file exists.
-f fileThe file is a plain file.
-o fileThe user owns the file.
-r fileThe user has read permission.
-w fileThe user has write permission.
-x fileThe user has execute permission.
-z fileThe file has zero size.
!Reverse the sense of any inquiry above.

5.4.2. Examples

The following examples show @ commands and assume n = 4.

ExpressionValue of $x
@ x = ($n > 10 || $n < 5)1
@ x = ($n >= 0 && $n < 3)0
@ x = ($n << 2)16
@ x = ($n >> 2)1
@ x = $n % 20
@ x = $n % 31

The following examples show the first line of if or while statements.

ExpressionMeaning
while ($#argv != 0)While there are arguments ...
if ($today[1] == "Fri")If the first word is “Fri”...
if ($file !~ *.[zZ])

If the file doesn't end with .z or .Z ...

if ($argv[1] =~ chap?)

If the first argument is chap followed by a single character ...

if (-f $argv[1])If the first argument is a plain file ...
if (! -d $tmpdir)If $tmpdir is not a directory ...

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