Lecture # 6 - Functions in Shell Script

Functions in Shell Script:

In shell scripting, functions allow you to encapsulate a sequence of commands and execute them as a single unit. Functions help in modularizing code, improving readability, and promoting code reusability. Syntax to declare a function is:

function_name() {
    # Function body (sequence of commands)
}

• Function Parameters:

  You can pass parameters to a function just like you pass arguments to a script. Inside the function, you can refer to these parameters using special variables $1, $2, and so on, which represent the first, second, and subsequent parameters passed to the function.

• Returning Values from Function:

  In shell scripting, you can use the return statement to return a value from a function. The value returned by the function can be accessed using the special variable $? after calling the function.