bash script Syntax error: word unexpected (expecting "do")

Question

I'm trying to run this dropbox script on my nginx server , but im getting:

 Syntax error: word unexpected (expecting "do")

I copy pasted the script for a website, and I tried removing special characters, but im still getting the same error.

script:

#!/bin/sh
# /etc/init.d/dropbox
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides:          dropbox
# Required-Start:    $network $syslog $remote_fs
# Required-Stop:     $network $syslog $remote_fs
# Should-Start:      $named $time
# Should-Stop:       $named $time
# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop:      0 1 6
# Short-Description: Start and stop the dropbox daemon for debian/ubuntu
# Description:       Dropbox daemon for linux
### END INIT INFO
DROPBOX_USERS="root"
start() {
    echo "Starting dropbox..."
    for dbuser in $DROPBOX_USERS; do
        start-stop-daemon -b -o -c $dbuser -S -x /home/$dbuser/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd
    done
}
stop() {
    echo "Stopping dropbox..."
    for dbuser in $DROPBOX_USERS; do
        start-stop-daemon -o -c $dbuser -K -x /home/$dbuser/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd
    done
}
status() {
    for dbuser in $DROPBOX_USERS; do
        dbpid=`pgrep -u $dbuser dropbox`
        if [ -z $dbpid ] ; then
            echo "dropboxd for USER $dbuser: not running."
        else
            echo "dropboxd for USER $dbuser: running."
        fi
    done
}
case "$1" in
  start)
    start
    ;;
  stop)
    stop
    ;;
  restart|reload|force-reload)
    stop
    start
    ;;
  status)
    status
    ;;
  *)
    echo "Usage: /etc/init.d/dropbox {start|stop|reload|force-reload|restart|status}"
    exit 1
esac
exit 0

Solution

Probably you managed to insert windows line endings when you copy and pasted. If you have dos2unix, use it. (dos2unix scriptfile) Otherwise, there are a number of similar utilities.

Comments

[Undermine2k]

So this fixed the other error now i'm getting: /etc/init.d/dropbox: #: not found

[rici]

@Undermine2k: That will be the pseudo-BOM which Windows likes to insert at the beginning of a UTF-8 text file, unnecessarily IMHO. Using a text editor on the server, delete and retype the first line (#!/bin/sh).

[Erwin Waterlander]

Use dos2unix >= 6.0.0 and it will also remove the BOM.

[Ram Rachum]

Downvote for patronizing people who have a different perspective on root usage than you.