Syntax error near unexpected token `('

command-line bash scripts rm

50,064

Solution 1

rm !(*.sh) is a extglob syntax which means remove all files except the ones that have the .sh extension.

In your interactive bash instance, the shell option extglob is on :

$ shopt extglob 
extglob         on

Now as your script is running in a subshell, you need to enable extglob by adding this at the start of the script :

shopt -s extglob

So your script looks like :

#!/bin/bash
shopt -s extglob
rm -rf -- !(*.sh)

EDIT :

To remove all files except .sh extension ones use GLOBIGNORE (as you don't want to enable extglob) :

#!/bin/bash
GLOBIGNORE='*.sh'
rm -rf *

Example :

$ ls -1
barbar
bar.sh
egg
foo.sh
spam

$ GLOBIGNORE='*.sh'

$ rm *

$ ls -1
bar.sh
foo.sh

Solution 2

Ok, it's a cross-post, but I have to write an answer. ;)

You could use find instead

find . -maxdepth 1 ! -name '*.sh' -exec rm -rf {} \;

Solution 3

You need to turn extglob on:

shopt -s extglob

50,064

Tal

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

Tal over 1 year
When I use below code in Ubuntu terminal, it works fine:
```
rm !(*.sh) -rf
```
But if I place the same line code in a shell script (clean.sh) and run the shell script from terminal, it throws an error:

clean.sh script:
```
#!/bin/bash
rm !(*.sh) -rf
```
The error I get:
```
./clean.sh: line 2: syntax error near unexpected token `('
./clean.sh: line 2: `rm !(*.sh) -rf'
```
can you help?
- choroba almost 9 years
  
  unix.stackexchange.com/q/220104/13792
choroba almost 9 years

@Pilot6: See man bash. It enables extended globbing like !(...).
Tal almost 9 years

can i change my command that do the same without run this? shopt -s extglob
Tal almost 9 years

can i change my command that do the same without run this? shopt -s extglob?
heemayl almost 9 years

@Tal check my edits..
Tal almost 9 years

thanks :) (stack overflaw make me write 15 character in comment :( :( :( )
Tal almost 9 years

but here there a two good answers!
heemayl almost 9 years

@Tal No problem..you can select any one.. Me or A.B. won't mind at all..
Guntram Blohm almost 9 years

This should be the accepted answer, since it actually answers the question, while the other one just describes a workaround.
Paddy Landau over 8 years

If you want GLOBIGNORE for only the rm command and nothing else, enclose in parentheses and use a semicolon thus: ( GLOBIGNORE='*.sh'; rm * )
Gaël J over 2 years

Highlighting the fact at it has to be at the start of the script, I had it in the middle and it was not working