Function arguments ($1, $2 inside function) in Bash Scripting - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Output of function using positional arguments

What is the output of this Bash script?

Bash Scripting

my_func() {
  echo "First: $1, Second: $2"
}
my_func apple banana

A First: , Second:

B First: my_func, Second: apple

C First: banana, Second: apple

D First: apple, Second: banana

💡 Hint

Remember that $1 and $2 inside a function refer to the function's arguments.

Inside the function, $1 is the first argument passed to it, which is 'apple', and $2 is the second argument, 'banana'.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Effect of shifting arguments inside a function

What will this script output?

Bash Scripting

my_func() {
  shift
  echo "$1 $2"
}
my_func one two three

A three

B one two

C two three

D one three

💡 Hint

The shift command moves all arguments one position to the left.

After shift, $1 becomes 'two' and $2 becomes 'three'.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Identify the syntax error in function argument usage

Which option contains a syntax error when trying to print the first argument inside a function?

Bash Scripting

my_func() {
  echo $1
}
my_func test

A echo $[1]

B echo "$1"

C echo ${1}

D echo $1

💡 Hint

Check how positional parameters are referenced in Bash.

Option A uses $[1], which is arithmetic expansion syntax and invalid for positional parameters.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this function print empty values?

Given this script, why does the function print empty lines?

Bash Scripting

my_func() {
  echo "$1 $2"
}
my_func

A Function syntax is incorrect

B No arguments were passed, so $1 and $2 are empty

C Variables $1 and $2 are not accessible inside functions

D The echo command is missing quotes

💡 Hint

Think about what happens if you call a function without arguments.

Since no arguments are passed, $1 and $2 inside the function are empty strings.

🚀 Application

expert

How to pass all script arguments to a function preserving spaces

You want to pass all arguments given to the script into a function, preserving spaces in each argument. Which option correctly does this?

Bash Scripting

my_func() {
  for arg in "$@"; do
    echo "$arg"
  done
}
# How to call my_func with all script arguments?

A my_func "$@"

B my_func "$*"

C my_func $@

D my_func $*

💡 Hint

Use quotes to preserve each argument as a separate word.

Using "$@" passes each argument as a separate quoted string, preserving spaces correctly.