##############
# locates a process given a search pattern to match in the process list.
- # supports a single command line flag style parameter of "-u USERNAME";
- # if the -u flag is found, a username is expected afterwards, and only the
- # processes of that user are considered.
+ #
+ # + the -u flag specifies a user name, e.g. "-u joe", which causes only
+ # the processes of that user "joe" to be considered.
+ #
+ # + the -x flag specifies a pattern to exclude from the list, e.g. "-x pszap.sh"
+ # would ignore any processes that mention the phrase "pszap.sh".
function psfind() {
+ local user_flag="-e"
+ # default user flag is for all users.
+ local excluder="ScrengeflebbitsAPhraseWeNeverExpecttomatchanythingYO298238"
+ # for our default, pick an exclusion string we would never match.
+
+ local found_flag=1
+ while [ $found_flag -eq 1 ]; do
+ # reset our sentinel now that we're safely in our loop.
+ found_flag=0
+
+ # save the first argument, since we're going to shift the args.
+ local arg1="$1"
+ if [ "$arg1" == "-u" ]; then
+ # handle the user flag.
+ user_flag="-u $2"
+#echo "found a -u parm and user=$2"
+ found_flag=1 # signal that we found one.
+ # skip these two arguments, since we've consumed them.
+ shift
+ shift
+ elif [ "$arg1" == "-x" ]; then
+ # handle the exclusion flag.
+ excluder="$2"
+#echo "found a -x parm and excluder=$excluder"
+ found_flag=1 # signal that we found one.
+ # skip these two arguments, since we've consumed them.
+ shift
+ shift
+ fi
+ done
+
+ # now that we've yanked any flags out, we can pull the rest of the
+ # arguments in as patterns to seek in the process list.
local -a patterns=("${@}")
#echo ====
#echo patterns list is: "${patterns[@]}"
#echo ====
- local user_flag
- if [ "${patterns[0]}" == "-u" ]; then
- user_flag="-u ${patterns[1]}"
-#echo "found a -u parm and user=${patterns[1]}"
- # void the two elements with that user flag so we don't use them as patterns.
- unset patterns[0] patterns[1]=
- else
- # select all users.
- user_flag="-e"
- fi
-
local PID_DUMP="$(mktemp "$TMP/zz_pidlist.XXXXXX")"
local -a PIDS_SOUGHT
# ids out of the results.
local i
for i in "${patterns[@]}"; do
+#echo "pattern curr is '$i'"
PIDS_SOUGHT+=($(cat $PID_DUMP \
| grep -i "$i" \
+ | grep -v "$excluder" \
| sed -n -e "$pid_finder_pattern"))
done
#echo ====