A comprehensive guide to use range in bash

Two ways we can create a range of values in Bash

1. Using Brace{} Expansion.
2. Using seq method.

1. Using Brace Expansion

Brace expansion is a powerful feature in Bash that allows you to generate sequences of numbers or characters. It’s the simplest way to create a range.

Syntax:

{start..end}

This syntax generates a sequence starting from the start value and ending at the end value. Both the start and end will be included

Example : Generating numbers

echo {1..5}   # Outputs: 1 2 3 4 5

• Explanation: The brace expansion {1..5} tells Bash to create a sequence starting from 1 and ending at 5, generating the numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Example : Generating alphabets

echo {a..e}   # Outputs: a b c d e

• Explanation: Similarly, {a..e} generates a sequence of characters from a to e, so the output will be: a, b, c, d, e.

Specifying a Step Value

You can specify a step value by adding it after the end value, which allows you to control how much the value increments (or decrements) at each step.