Script for compressing files with gzip within the terminal with date

Wed, Sep 14, 2005

This is a simple bash script to compress in tar.gz (gzip) format a file or folder appending date to file name.

Save this file as gzip.sh and give it execution permissions. From terminal i could be: chmod 755 gzip.sh
This script does the following:

• Checks if you passed exactly 2 arguments
• Compresses your source
• Adds the date on the resulting filename
• Optionally changes permissions of your filename (uncomment line chown and put the desired user:group)

Script:

#!/bin/bash
# Albert Lombarte
#
if [ $# != 2 ]
# There must be two arguments
then
    echo "--USAGE: $0 source target"
    exit 1
fi

FILENAME=`date "+%Y-%b-%d_$2"`
WHAT=$1

#======================================
echo "-- STARTED compression of $WHAT into $FILENAME"

#Use 'sudo' command before commands if needed

tar -c --gzip -f $FILENAME $WHAT
#chown alombarte:bckgroup $FILENAME

echo "-- FINISHED $WHAT"
echo ""
exit 1

or the same with less stuff...

#!/bin/bash
# Albert Lombarte

if [ $# != 2 ]
then
    echo "--USAGE: $0 source target"
    exit 1
fi

tar -c --gzip -f $1 $2

This example ...will result in 03-Aug-2005_alombarte.tar.gz

./gzip.sh /home/alombarte alombarte.tar.gz