Creating a config file and using it in tandem with your scripts

In this recipe, we are going to create a config file and use it in our shell script.

Getting ready

Besides having a terminal open, you need basic knowledge of creating scripts and config files.

How to do it...

Now, we are going to create a script and config file. The extension of the configuration file is .conf. Create a script called sample_script.sh and write this code in it:

#!/bin/bash
typeset -A config
config=(
    [username]="student"
    [password]=""
    [hostname]="ubuntu"
)
while read line
do
    if echo $line | grep -F = &>/dev/null
    then
        varname=$(echo "$line" | cut -d '=' -f 1)
        config[$varname]=$(echo "$line" | cut -d '=' -f 2-)
    fi
done < sampleconfig.conf
echo ${config[username]}
echo ${config[password]}
echo ${config[hostname]}
echo ${config[PROMPT_COMMAND]}

We will now create a configuration file. Create a file called sampleconfig.conf and write the following code in it:

password=training...