Non-blocking bash command

Question

Let's say I have a bash script with the following:

#!/bin/sh
gedit
rm *.temp

When I execute it using sh ./test.sh, gedit pops-up but the rm part does not run until after I close gedit.

I want the script to continue running even if gedit isn't closed; like the gedit isn't blocking the bash execution.

_{The example I gave is just an example (putting the rm first won't work in a real situation).}

Answer 1

The term you are looking for is called "backgrounding" a job. When you run a command either in your shell or in a script you can add a flag at the end to send it to the background and continue running new commands or the rest of the script. In most shells including sh, this is the & character.

#!/bin/sh
gedit &
rm *.temp

The term "blocking" usually has to do with input/output streams, often to files or a device. It's also used in compiled languages in something similar to the sense you used, but in bash and similar shell scripting, the terminology (and function!) is rather different.