Can't run commands from bash script in for-loop

Question

I'm trying to create a bash script that reads in subfolders within a folder and uses the subfolder as an input for a python program, but for some reason, it can't recognize some simple commands.

So just as a reference, the python program I have takes in two inputs: the subfolder it's taking in (folder must only have files in it) and an output file name.

#!/bin/bash

PATH=/foo/bar/*
for folder in $PATH; do
        echo  "${folder##*/}"
        (cat "${folder##*/}" output.txt) | python3 program.py
done

I've ran the program by itself in the command line and it has worked numerous times, but for some reason this doesn't.

This is the resulting output:

$ bash fileread.sh
> File1
> fileread.sh: line 6: cat: command not found
> fileread.sh: line 6: python3: command not found
> File2
> fileread.sh: line 6: cat: command not found
> fileread.sh: line 6: python3: command not found

Clearly, the echo command works, but somehow the other two stopped working

user1934428 · Accepted Answer · 2021-06-10 12:28:48Z

2

PATH is a reserved variable. By using it for your own purpose, bash can't find the commands anymore. Just use a different name.

Also, if you want to store a list, it makes IMO more sense to use an array:

p=(/foo/bar/*)
for folder in "${p[@]}"
...

answered Jun 10, 2021 at 12:28

user1934428

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