Software Distributor Administration Guide for HP-UX 11i

Using Control Scripts

Control Script Input and Output

Chapter 11 399

4. If the message text requires more than a single 72-character line,

break it into several 72-character lines. Indent all lines after the

first. For example:

NOTE: To install your new graphics package, you

must turn on the lights in the next room.

Please turn them off when you leave.

5. Do not use tab characters in any messages.

• Scripts execute other commands which may unexpectedly fail and

emit output not in the above format. Wherever you suspect a failure

is possible or likely (and it is reasonable to do so) redirect the

standard output or error of the executed command to /dev/null or

to a temporary file. Then emit a proper-format message based on the

return code or on output from the command. For example:

/bin/grep bletch /etc/bagel 2c&>/dev/null

if[$?=1]

then

echo “ERROR: Cannot find bletch in /etc/bagel.” |&>2

• Follow these conventions to ensure a control script’s messages have a

similar look and feel to the messages generated by the agent (and the

commands themselves).

— Use full sentences wherever possible. Avoid terseness.

— Start sentences and phrases with capital letter and end with

period.

— Put two blanks after period; one after colons, semicolons, and

commas.

— Use uppercase first letters of phrases after colons. (This helps

break up the message into digestible “bites” of information.)

— Surround product, fileset, directory, and file names, and other

variable-valued strings with quotes. For example:

echo "ERROR: Cannot open file \"$file\"." &>2

— Write in the present tense. Avoid “would”, “will”, and similar

verb tenses. Also avoid past tense except where necessary.

— Use “cannot” rather than “can’t”, “could not”, “couldn’t”, “unable

to”, “failed to”, and similar phrases.