Bash Reference Manual

Reference Documentation for Bash

Edition 2.5a, for Bash Version 2.05a.

November 2001

• Introduction
  • What is Bash?
  • What is a shell?
• Definitions
• Basic Shell Features
  • Shell Syntax
    • Shell Operation
    • Quoting
      • Escape Character
      • Single Quotes
      • Double Quotes
      • ANSI-C Quoting
      • Locale-Specific Translation
    • Comments
  • Shell Commands
    • Simple Commands
    • Pipelines
    • Lists of Commands
    • Looping Constructs
    • Conditional Constructs
    • Grouping Commands
  • Shell Functions
  • Shell Parameters
    • Positional Parameters
    • Special Parameters
  • Shell Expansions
    • Brace Expansion
    • Tilde Expansion
    • Shell Parameter Expansion
    • Command Substitution
    • Arithmetic Expansion
    • Process Substitution
    • Word Splitting
    • Filename Expansion
      • Pattern Matching
    • Quote Removal
  • Redirections
    • Redirecting Input
    • Redirecting Output
    • Appending Redirected Output
    • Redirecting Standard Output and Standard Error
    • Here Documents
    • Duplicating File Descriptors
    • Opening File Descriptors for Reading and Writing
  • Executing Commands
    • Simple Command Expansion
    • Command Search and Execution
    • Command Execution Environment
    • Environment
    • Exit Status
    • Signals
  • Shell Scripts
• Shell Builtin Commands
  • Bourne Shell Builtins
  • Bash Builtin Commands
  • The Set Builtin
  • Special Builtins
• Shell Variables
  • Bourne Shell Variables
  • Bash Variables
• Bash Features
  • Invoking Bash
  • Bash Startup Files
  • Interactive Shells
    • What is an Interactive Shell?
    • Is this Shell Interactive?
    • Interactive Shell Behavior
  • Bash Conditional Expressions
  • Shell Arithmetic
  • Aliases
  • Arrays
  • The Directory Stack
    • Directory Stack Builtins
  • Controlling the Prompt
  • The Restricted Shell
  • Bash POSIX Mode
• Job Control
  • Job Control Basics
  • Job Control Builtins
  • Job Control Variables
• Installing Bash
  • Basic Installation
  • Compilers and Options
  • Compiling For Multiple Architectures
  • Installation Names
  • Specifying the System Type
  • Sharing Defaults
  • Operation Controls
  • Optional Features
• Reporting Bugs
• Major Differences From The Bourne Shell
  • Implementation Differences From The SVR4.2 Shell
• Index of Shell Builtin Commands
• Index of Shell Reserved Words
• Parameter and Variable Index
• Function Index
• Concept Index

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