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Linux Command Line Mastery · Lección

Sentencias condicionales: `if`, `else`, `case`

Implemente lógica de toma de decisiones en sus scripts mediante distintos constructos condicionales.

Sentencias condicionales: `if`, `else`, `case` es una lección gratuita de Linux Command Line Mastery en CoddyKit. Esta es la lección 2 de 4. Puedes leer la lección completa abajo gratuitamente — luego la practicas en el navegador con un editor de código integrado y un tutor de IA 24/7. Forma parte de la ruta de aprendizaje de Linux Command Line Mastery, y tu progreso se sincroniza en la web y la app de CoddyKit. El curso de Linux Command Line Mastery incluye 4 lecciones en total.

Partes de esta lección aún no han sido traducidas y se muestran en inglés.

Making Decisions in Scripts

In shell scripting, just like in life, you often need to make decisions. Conditional statements allow your scripts to execute different commands based on whether a certain condition is true or false.

This is crucial for creating flexible and powerful scripts that can adapt to different situations or user inputs.

The Basic `if` Statement

The simplest conditional is the if statement. It checks a condition, and if that condition is true, it executes a block of commands. If false, it skips them.

The basic syntax looks like this:

  • if [ condition ]; then
  • # commands to run if true
  • fi

Remember fi to close the if block!

Simple `if` Example

Let's see a simple if statement in action. This script checks if a variable num is greater than 5.

Try changing the value of num to see how the output changes!

#!/bin/bash

num=7

if [ "$num" -gt 5 ]; then
  echo "Number is greater than 5."
fi

num=3

if [ "$num" -gt 5 ]; then
  echo "Number is greater than 5. (This won't print)"
fi

`if-else`: Two Paths

What if you want to execute one set of commands if a condition is true, and a different set if it's false? That's where else comes in.

The if-else statement provides two distinct paths for your script:

  • if [ condition ]; then
  • # commands if condition is true
  • else
  • # commands if condition is false
  • fi

Using `if-else`

This script uses if-else to determine if a number is even or odd. We use the arithmetic evaluation (( )) for clearer number comparisons and calculations.

The % operator gives the remainder of a division. If num % 2 is 0, it's even!

#!/bin/bash

num=4

if (( num % 2 == 0 )); then
  echo "$num is an even number."
else
  echo "$num is an odd number."
fi

num=9

if (( num % 2 == 0 )); then
  echo "$num is an even number. (This won't print)"
else
  echo "$num is an odd number."
fi

`elif`: Multiple Conditions

Sometimes you have more than two possible outcomes. For these situations, you can use elif (short for "else if") to check multiple conditions sequentially.

The script checks conditions one by one. The first one that's true gets its commands executed, and the rest are skipped.

  • if [ cond1 ]; then ...
  • elif [ cond2 ]; then ...
  • else ...
  • fi

Chain of `elif`

Here's an example using if-elif-else to assign a letter grade based on a score. Notice how the conditions are checked from highest to lowest score.

If a score is 95, the first if condition (>= 90) is met, and it prints "A". The other elif and else blocks are then ignored.

#!/bin/bash

score=85

if [ "$score" -ge 90 ]; then
  echo "Grade: A"
elif [ "$score" -ge 80 ]; then
  echo "Grade: B"
elif [ "$score" -ge 70 ]; then
  echo "Grade: C"
else
  echo "Grade: F"
fi

`case`: Simple Selection

When you have a single variable or expression that can have many possible values, and you want to perform different actions for each value, the case statement is often cleaner than a long if-elif-else chain.

It's great for menu-driven scripts or handling specific input options.

  • case $variable in
  • pattern1) commands ;;
  • pattern2) commands ;;
  • *) default commands ;;
  • esac

Using `case` Statements

This script demonstrates how to use case to respond to different user actions (start, stop, restart). The *) pattern acts as a default, catching any unmatched values.

Each block of commands ends with ;;, which is crucial for the case statement to work correctly.

#!/bin/bash

action="start"

case "$action" in
  "start")
    echo "Starting service..."
    ;;
  "stop")
    echo "Stopping service..."
    ;;
  "restart")
    echo "Restarting service..."
    ;;
  *) # Default case for anything else
    echo "Invalid action: $action"
    ;;
esac

action="status"

case "$action" in
  "start") echo "Starting service..." ;;
  "stop") echo "Stopping service..." ;;
  "restart") echo "Restarting service..." ;;
  *) echo "Invalid action: $action" ;;

esac

Conditional Challenge

Read the script below carefully. What will be the output when this script is run?

#!/bin/bash

color="blue"

if [ "$color" == "red" ]; then
  echo "It's a primary color."
elif [ "$color" == "yellow" ]; then
  echo "It's another primary color."
elif [ "$color" == "blue" ]; then
  echo "Yes, blue is primary!"
else
  echo "Unknown color."
fi

Decisions Made Easy

Great job! You've learned the fundamental ways to add decision-making logic to your shell scripts.

  • if: Executes commands if a condition is true.
  • if-else: Provides two paths, one for true and one for false.
  • elif: Allows chaining multiple conditions for more complex logic.
  • case: A clean way to handle multiple choices based on a single value.

These constructs are essential for writing scripts that can respond dynamically to different inputs and situations.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿La lección «Sentencias condicionales: `if`, `else`, `case`» es gratis?

Sí — el texto completo de «Sentencias condicionales: `if`, `else`, `case`» es gratis para leer aquí en la web. Para practicarla de forma interactiva (editor de código integrado y tutor de IA 24/7) y desbloquear el resto del curso de Linux Command Line Mastery, actualiza a CoddyKit PRO. El curso de Linux Command Line Mastery incluye 4 lecciones en total.

¿Qué aprenderé en «Sentencias condicionales: `if`, `else`, `case`»?

Implemente lógica de toma de decisiones en sus scripts mediante distintos constructos condicionales. Practicas Linux Command Line Mastery con código real que ejecutas directamente en el navegador, y un tutor de IA 24/7 responde tus preguntas mientras trabajas en la lección.

¿Necesito experiencia previa para empezar Linux Command Line Mastery?

No se requiere experiencia previa. Linux Command Line Mastery en CoddyKit está estructurado para principiantes hasta estudiantes avanzados, así que puedes empezar aquí o desde el inicio y avanzar a tu ritmo. Esta es la lección 2 de 4.

¿Cuánto tiempo toma la lección «Sentencias condicionales: `if`, `else`, `case`»?

La mayoría de las lecciones de CoddyKit toman alrededor de 5–10 minutos. Cada una es compacta e interactiva, así que avanzas constantemente y retomas exactamente por donde dejaste en la web y la app.

¿Puedo escribir y ejecutar código en esta lección de Linux Command Line Mastery?

Sí. Cada lección de Linux Command Line Mastery incluye un editor de código integrado, así que escribes y ejecutas código real directamente en tu navegador y obtienes retroalimentación instantánea de IA — sin configuración local necesaria.

Todas las lecciones de este curso

  1. Variables, entrada y salida
  2. Sentencias condicionales: `if`, `else`, `case`
  3. Bucles: `for`, `while`, `until`
  4. Funciones y argumentos en scripts de shell
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