Linux in a Nutshell, Third Edition

Name

shift

Synopsis

shift [variable]

Description

If variable is given, shift the words in a wordlist variable (i.e., name [2] becomes name [1]). With no argument, shift the positional parameters (command-line arguments) (i.e., $2 becomes $1). shift is typically used in a while loop. See additional example under while.

Example

                     while ($#argv)      
                     While there are arguments
                     if (-f $argv[1])  
       wc -l $argv[1]
    else
       echo "$argv[1] is not a regular file"
    endif
    shift           
                     Get the next argument
                     end