Creating a Bash Script to Display an Animated Party Parrot in the Terminal

This tutorial will guide you through creating a small Bash script that uses curl to display an animated party parrot in the terminal. This fun script utilizes parrot.live, a neat little service found at parrot.live GitHub repository.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have curl installed on your Linux system. You can check this by typing curl --version in your terminal. If it's not installed, you can usually install it using your distribution's package manager, for example, sudo apt install curl on Debian-based systems.

Step 1: Create the Bash Script

1. Open a Text Editor: Open your favorite text editor and create a new file.

2. Start with the Shebang: At the top of the file, add the shebang line for Bash:

   #!/bin/bash

3. Add the Curl Command: Below the shebang, add the following line:

   curl parrot.live

4. Save the Script: Save the file as party_parrot.sh or another name of your choosing.

Step 2: Add a Help Flag

It's good practice to include a help flag in scripts to provide users with information on how to use the script.

1. Handle Command-Line Arguments: Modify your script to handle a -h or --help flag. Replace the curl line with the following script:

   if [[ "$1" == "-h" || "$1" == "--help" ]]; then
       echo "Usage: $0 [-h | --help]"
       echo "Displays an animated party parrot in the terminal."
       exit 0
   fi
   
   curl parrot.live

This script checks if the first argument is -h or --help. If so, it prints usage information and exits. Otherwise, it proceeds to run curl parrot.live.

Let's break down the script line by line:

1. if [[ "$1" == "-h" || "$1" == "--help" ]]; then

   • if: Starts a conditional statement in Bash.
   • [[ ... ]]: The double brackets denote a test condition in Bash.
   • "$1": This represents the first argument passed to the script. In Bash scripts, $1 is the first positional parameter.
   • == "-h" || "$1" == "--help": This checks if $1 is equal to -h or --help. The || is a logical OR operator, meaning the condition is true if either $1 equals -h or $1 equals --help.
   • then: This indicates the start of the block of code that will execute if the condition is true.

2. echo "Usage: $0 [-h | --help]"

   • echo: This command is used for displaying a line of text/string that is passed as an argument.
   • "Usage: $0 [-h | --help]": This is the text being echoed. $0 is a special variable in Bash that contains the name of the script. So, this line is essentially providing the user with information on how to use the script.

3. echo "Displays an animated party parrot in the terminal."

   • This is another echo command, providing a description of what the script does.

4. exit 0

   • exit: This command terminates the script.
   • 0: This is the exit status that the script returns to the shell. A 0 status typically signifies that the script has completed successfully. It's a convention in Unix and Linux systems where '0' signifies success, and non-zero values signify an error or false status.

5. fi

   • This marks the end of the if conditional block.

Step 3: Make the Script Executable

1. Change File Permissions: In the terminal, navigate to the directory containing your script and run:

   chmod +x party_parrot.sh

Step 4: Running the Script

1. Execute the Script: You can now run the script by typing:

   ./party_parrot.sh

   To see the help message, run:

   ./party_parrot.sh --help

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've created a fun and simple Bash script that displays an animated party parrot in the terminal using curl. This script is a basic example of how you can use Bash scripting to automate tasks and add a little fun to your terminal sessions. The skills you've learned here can be applied to more complex scripting tasks in the future. Enjoy your party parrot! 🎉🦜

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