Summary:
Key Benefit: Traditionally, books on shell programming present the shell as the user interface to UNIX. This complete guide shows how to use the shell to develop shell scripts, using the shell more like a programming language than a command interpreter.

Key Topics: Covers shell syntax, portability on different UNIX systems, using shell scripts to catch or ignore signals, executing commands using the remote shell command, and using the shell''s redirection syntaxes.

Market: For software development engineers, system administrators, and QA test engineers who work with UNIX computer systems.

Table of Contents:
1. Shell Syntax.
2. Shell Variables.
3. Shell Functions and Built-in Commands.
4. Using Files.
5. The Environment.
6. Parsing Command Line Parameters.
7. Using Filters.
8. Shell Utilities.
9. Examples of Shell Functions.
10. Examples of Shell Scripts.
11. Debugging.
12. Portability.
13. Common Questions and Problems.
Appendix A. Comparison of UNIX Shells.
Appendix B. Syntax Summary.