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28.8. Repeating Commands

Let's start with some obvious ways to run commands more than once:

Whether each of those methods will work depends on the shell you're using and whether you have copy-and-paste built into your interface. All of those methods force you to take some action before each command line repeats -- pressing the up-arrow key, for instance. That lets you control exactly when each command runs.

The next four articles show automated ways to repeat a command a certain number of times. You can "mix and match" some parts of different articles -- the tips on read and sleep, for instance. Each article follows on to the one before, so we suggest glancing through all of them:

Finally, remember that you aren't stuck with the login shell you chose. If you want a feature that your shell doesn't have, you can use another shell temporarily by typing its name (like csh), running the commands you need, then typing exit to go back to your original shell.

-- JP



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