5

I'd like to create a bash function that can get a bash code block like time does:

time {
  echo 123
  echo "Something else"
  sleep 1
}

Basically I'd like to be able to wrap the block with my bash code.

Edit: Updated my question after the first answer of @DavidPostill♦ and the comments: For example, I'd like to wrap a code block with 2>&1 > /dev/null and also the time it with time. Should I write a program outside bash to do that?

function myfunction() {
  time { $1 } 2>&1 /dev/null
}
myfunction { sleep 1 }

Edit 2: Upon further reading it seems like it isn't possible as time is a special case for bash.

funerr
  • 197

2 Answers2

1

You can't pass blocks around directly as if they were objects, but you can pass the file descriptor (FD) of a redirect block (<()) and time the output of that (or do whatever to it). The inner {} 2>&1 is needed to capture the stderr on the same FD:

function myfunction() {
  time cat $1 >/dev/null
}
myfunction <({ 
  echo 123
  echo "Something else"
  sleep 1 
} 2>&1)
Droj
  • 719
  • 7
  • 5
-1

I'd like to be able to wrap the function with my bash code and pass arguments

Functions with parameters sample

#!/bin/bash 
function quit {
   exit
}  
function e {
    echo $1 
}  
e Hello
e World
quit
echo foo

The function e prints the first argument it receives.

Arguments, within functions, are treated in the same manner as arguments given to the script.

Source BASH Programming - Introduction HOW-TO: Functions

Further reading

DavidPostill
  • 162,382