XK0-006 Automation, Orchestration, and Scripting Practice Question
A Linux administrator is writing a bash script that accepts command-line options: -a for all, -f for file, and -o for output. Which of the following correctly uses getopts to parse these options?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
while getopts "afo" opt; do case $opt in a) ...;; f) ...;; o) ...;; esac; done
getopts uses a string of option characters; a colon after an option indicates it requires an argument. The correct usage is 'a:f:o' where a and f require arguments, but the stem doesn't specify arguments. Assuming -a and -f don't require arguments, the string should be 'afo'.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
while getopts "-a -f -o" opt; do ... done
Why it's wrong here
The option string should not include dashes; getopts expects a string of option letters.
- ✗
while getopts "a:f:o" opt; do case $opt in a) ...;; f) ...;; o) ...;; esac; done
Why it's wrong here
This indicates that -a and -f require arguments, which is not stated in the stem.
- ✗
getopts "afo" opt; case $opt in a) ...;; f) ...;; o) ...;; esac
Why it's wrong here
getopts should be used in a while loop to process all options; this only processes one option.
- ✓
while getopts "afo" opt; do case $opt in a) ...;; f) ...;; o) ...;; esac; done
Why this is correct
Correct. The option string 'afo' defines three boolean options without arguments.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Linux Fundamentals and History
Key term
Bash
Bash is a command-line interpreter that lets users interact with an operating system by typing text commands instead of clicking icons.
Key term
Output
In IT service management, output is the result or deliverable produced by a process, system, or component, such as data, reports, or services delivered to a customer.
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