Bash script producing "syntax error near unexpected token 'done'"

Question

The shell script looks like this:

#!/bin/bash
while [ true ]; do
    clear
    date
    who
    sleep 5
done 

If I run int, I get the following:

yuikus@DESKTOP-VTJ0OG4:~$ cd /mnt/d/lab_oc_1/lab_oc_2/
yuikus@DESKTOP-VTJ0OG4:/mnt/d/lab_oc_1/lab_oc_2/$ sh bag.sh
bag.sh: 7: Syntax error: "done" unexpected (expecting "do")
yuikus@DESKTOP-VTJ0OG4:/mnt/d/lab_oc_1/lab_oc_2/$ bash bag.sh
bag.sh: line 7: syntax error near unexpected token `done'
bag.sh: line 7: `done '

Why doesn't it work? I run with Ubuntu, from Windows.

Answer 1

Since you are operating Ubuntu under Windows, you likely edited the script concurrently with Windows and Linux editors. However, Windows and Linux use different line-endings, which can confuse script interpreters.

Run dos2unix over your script file; this will replace any Windows (CR-LF) line endings with Unix line endings:

$ dos2unix bag.sh

Then, run your script as originally intended. Note that since you have a #!-line stating /bin/bash, it would make more sense to make the script executable and run it as

$ ./bag.sh

than running it under sh, which may use another shell than the one you want (Bash).