today's rc programming challenge

today's rc programming challenge

[Chris Siebenmann]

 Given: a string in a variable.
 Wanted: the same string but without the newline on the end

 Challenge: how, in the (possible) presence of any character except binary
0 in the string, do to this? Bonus points awarded for the shortest solution,
the most efficient solution, and one that can be stuck in a function.

	- cks

Re: today's rc programming challenge

[Robert Earl]

fn chop {
	l=() {
	for (f in ``$nl{whatis $1}) {
		~ $#l 0 || echo -n $l
		~ $f '''' && {echo ''''; return}
		~ $#l 0 || echo
		l=$f
	}
	}
}

you call it with a variable name rather than the value; and it prints
a variable assignment a la `whatis' on stdout, so to use it:

; foo='testing
	chop.
	'
; eval ``(){chop foo}

and foo is now chopped.  i know the calling syntax is obscure, but
using whatis was convenient - it knows how to quote, and in the
presence of tabs and spaces, echo could get things wrong.

OBChallenge: make this work with more than one argument.  i had to use
"return" to cut out of the loop (which is why it HAS to be in a
function).

Re: today's rc programming challenge

[Arnold D. Robbins]

>  Given: a string in a variable.
>  Wanted: the same string but without the newline on the end
> 
>  Challenge: how, in the (possible) presence of any character except binary
> 0 in the string, do to this? Bonus points awarded for the shortest solution,
> the most efficient solution, and one that can be stuck in a function.


	x='foo
	'
	x=`{tr -d '
	' <<< $x}

	fn stripnl { ret=() {
		ret=`{tr -d '
	' <<< $1
		return ret
	}}

Arnold

Re: today's rc programming challenge

[rsalz]

I tried your function and got my trailing ` missing.

What's wrong with builtin echo -n ?