Interpreter directive

An interpreter directive is a computer language construct that is used to control which interpreter parses and interprets the instructions in a computer program.^[1] It is also commonly referred to as an interpreter designator.

In Unix, Linux and other Unix-like operating systems (OS) the Shebang (#!) command is the first line in a script, as it is used to tell the OS shell that this file is to be executed and what scripting language to use when executing the script commands. An example would be #!/bin/bash, meaning run this script with the bash shell found in the /bin directory. The file system permissions must also be set so the script may be executed.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Other systems or files may use some other magic number as the interpreter directives. (Shebang's #! magic number is a code value 0x23 0x21 followed by the path to an interpreter.)

References

^ Weik, Martin H. (2000). Computer Science and Communications Dictionary. Vol. Volume 1. Springer. p. 829. ISBN 978-0-7923-8425-0. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
^ "Advanced Bash Scripting Guide". Retrieved 2012-01-19.
^ Cooper, Mendel (November 5, 2010). Advanced Bash Scripting Guide 5.3 Volume 1. lulu.com. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4357-5218-4.
^ MacDonald, Matthew (2011). HTML5: The Missing Manual. Sebastopol, California: O'Reilly Media. p. 373. ISBN 978-1-4493-0239-9.
^ Lutz, Mark (September 2009). Learning Python (4th ed.). O'Reilly Media. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-596-15806-4.
^ Lie Hetland, Magnus (October 4, 2005). Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional. Apress. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-59059-519-0.
^ Schitka, John (December 24, 2002). Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification. Course Technology. p. 353. ISBN 978-0-619-13004-6.

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[1] Weik, Martin H. (2000). Computer Science and Communications Dictionary. Vol. Volume 1. Springer. p. 829. ISBN 978-0-7923-8425-0. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)

[2] "Advanced Bash Scripting Guide". Retrieved 2012-01-19.

[3] Cooper, Mendel (November 5, 2010). Advanced Bash Scripting Guide 5.3 Volume 1. lulu.com. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4357-5218-4.

[4] MacDonald, Matthew (2011). HTML5: The Missing Manual. Sebastopol, California: O'Reilly Media. p. 373. ISBN 978-1-4493-0239-9.

[5] Lutz, Mark (September 2009). Learning Python (4th ed.). O'Reilly Media. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-596-15806-4.

[6] Lie Hetland, Magnus (October 4, 2005). Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional. Apress. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-59059-519-0.

[7] Schitka, John (December 24, 2002). Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification. Course Technology. p. 353. ISBN 978-0-619-13004-6.

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See also

References