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What is the primary purpose of the $ symbol in Linux shell scripting?
Question



What is the primary purpose of the $ symbol in Linux shell scripting?

A.

To denote a superuser prompt

B.

To reference the value of a variable

C.

To execute a command in the background

D.

To suppress error messages

E.

To concatenate strings

Correct option is B

In Linux shell scripting, the $ symbol is used to reference the value of a variable. For example, if a variable is defined as VAR="Hello", the value can be accessed using $VAR. This symbol is essential for variable manipulation and accessing environment variables in scripts.
Example:

Important Key Points:
1. $ references variables, such as user-defined or environment variables (e.g., $HOME, $PATH).
2. It is also used for special positional parameters in shell scripting, such as $1, $2 for arguments passed to a script.
3. The $ symbol in the command prompt represents a regular user shell, whereas # is used for the root user shell.
Knowledge Booster:
· To denote a superuser prompt: Incorrect; $ is used for normal users, while # is for superuser prompts.
· To execute a command in the background: Incorrect; the & symbol is used for background execution.
· To suppress error messages: Incorrect; 2>/dev/null is used to suppress error messages.
· To concatenate strings: Incorrect; string concatenation is done without any special symbols in Bash.

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