Bash: if statements

An if statement in shell scripting looks something like this:


if [ "$VAR" = 1 ]
then
#do something
elif [ "$VAR" = 2 ]
then
#do something else
else
#do something by default
fi

Notice we're quoting the variable to protect from shell expansion.

There are a variety of file tests one can use:


if [ -e /tmp/test.file ]
then
#do something
elif [ -d "$VAR" ]
then
#do something else
else
#another default action
fi

There is also a variety of comparison operators one can use:


if [ -z "$a" ] #checking if $a is null
then
#do something
elif [ "$a" != "$b" ] #checking if $a is not equal to $b
then
#do something
else
#do something default
fi

Bash variables are not typed. They are all character strings, but in certain contexts and if the variable contains only digits, the shell will allow integer operations and comparisons. An excellent primer on variables is located here.