shopt

shopt

The shopt command stands for „shell options“ and is used to set or display shell configuration options. It’s a powerful tool that allows users to customize their shell experience, enabling features such as file name completion, spelling correction, and more.

What can I do with shopt?

With shopt, you can:

• Enable or disable specific shell options
• Display the current settings of various shell configurations
• Set or clear individual options

Some common options that can be enabled or disabled using shopt include:

• cdspell: enables spelling correction for directory names
• checkhash: checks the hash value of a command before executing it
• histexpand: enables word expansion in history commands
• globstar: enables globbing (pattern matching) for filenames

Special hacks with shopt

• Customizing your shell: Use shopt to set options that enhance your shell experience, such as enabling cdspell or checkhash.
• Debugging scripts: Temporarily enable debug mode using shopt -u nullglob or other debugging-related options.
• Automation: Use shopt to automate tasks by setting shell options globally.

Who should know this?

This command is suitable for:

• Intermediate users: Those who have a solid grasp of basic Linux commands and want to customize their shell experience.
• Power users: Users who regularly use the shell and want to optimize their workflow with specific features enabled or disabled.
• System administrators: Admins may use shopt to configure shell options globally, making it easier for other users on the system.

While beginners can benefit from knowing basic shell commands, they might find shopt a bit overwhelming at first. However, once you’ve mastered the basics and want to take your shell experience to the next level, understanding shopt is essential.