Calling functions in Bash Scripting - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Output of a simple function call

What is the output of this Bash script?

Bash Scripting

greet() {
  echo "Hello, $1!"
}
greet World

A Hello, World!

B greet World

C World

D Hello, $1!

💡 Hint

Look at how the function uses the first argument.

The function greet prints 'Hello, ' followed by the first argument passed to it, which is 'World'.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Function with local variable scope

What will be the output of this script?

Bash Scripting

count=5
myfunc() {
  local count=10
  echo $count
}
myfunc
echo $count

A

5
5

B

5
10

C

10
10

D

10
5

💡 Hint

Remember local variables inside functions do not change outside variables.

Inside the function, count is local and set to 10. Outside, count remains 5. So the outputs are 10 then 5.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Identify the syntax error in function definition

Which option contains a syntax error in defining a Bash function?

A myfunc() { echo "Hello"; }

B myfunc() echo "Hello"

C function myfunc { echo "Hello"; }

D function myfunc() { echo "Hello"; }

💡 Hint

Check if the function body is properly enclosed.

Option B misses curly braces around the function body, causing a syntax error.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this function not print the argument?

Given this script, why does it print nothing? myfunc() { echo $name } myfunc John

A The function does not use $1 to access the argument

B The function name is invalid

C The echo command is missing quotes

D The function is not called correctly

💡 Hint

How do functions access passed arguments in Bash?

In Bash, function arguments are accessed with $1, $2, etc. The variable $name is empty here.

🚀 Application

expert

Function calling another function with output capture

What is the output of this script?

Bash Scripting

get_date() {
  date +"%Y-%m-%d"
}
print_message() {
  local today=$(get_date)
  echo "Today is $today"
}
print_message

A Today is

B Today is $(get_date)

C Today is 2024-06-01

D get_date: command not found

💡 Hint

The inner function output is captured with $(...).

The function get_date returns the current date in YYYY-MM-DD format. print_message captures it and prints it.