-bash: syntax error near unexpected token `)'

Question

I'm probably missing something very basic. I have a web script that tells a shell script to update some database records. These records are for statistics, and this way the web script does not have to wait while the database records are updated. However, I can't actually make the shell script work running it from commandline. Here is the code that I'm trying:

perl async_sql.pl 'UPDATE some_table set i = i + 1 WHERE (n in (\'328430\',\'334969\',\'330179\',\'335290\',\'335285\',\'335284\',\'335264\',\'335145\',\'335146\',\'335147\',\'335148\',\'335149\',\'335230\',\'335201\',\'335198\',\'335196\',\'335167\',\'335151\',\'335152\',\'335143\',\'334969\',\'334972\',\'334977\',\'334978\',\'334979\',\'334980\',\'334982\',\'334983\',\'334984\',\'334934\',\'334947\',\'334948\',\'334950\',\'334992\',\'335014\',\'335026\',\'335030\',\'335032\',\'334864\',\'334862\',\'334861\',\'334858\',\'334855\',\'334852\',\'334850\',\'334849\',\'334848\',\'334847\',\'334844\',\'334842\'))'

Bash tells me:

-bash: syntax error near unexpected token `)'

What am I missing?

Answer 1

It is not possible to escape single quote in single quotes. Use " " instead

perl async_sql.pl "UPDATE some_table set i = i + 1 WHERE (n in ('328430','334969','330179','335290','335285','335284','335264','335145','335146','335147','335148','335149','335230','335201','335198','335196','335167','335151','335152','335143','334969','334972','334977','334978','334979','334980','334982','334983','334984','334934','334947','334948','334950','334992','335014','335026','335030','335032','334864','334862','334861','334858','334855','334852','334850','334849','334848','334847','334844','334842'))"

Also, there are other ways to deal with this problem:

echo "quote'test"
echo 'quote'"'"'test'
echo 'quote'\''test'
echo $'quote\'test'

All these should print quote'test as a single parameter. Which means that another great solution for your problem is:

perl async_sql.pl $'UPDATE some_table set i = i + 1 WHERE (n in (\'328430\',\'334969\',\'330179\',\'335290\',\'335285\',\'335284\',\'335264\',\'335145\',\'335146\',\'335147\',\'335148\',\'335149\',\'335230\',\'335201\',\'335198\',\'335196\',\'335167\',\'335151\',\'335152\',\'335143\',\'334969\',\'334972\',\'334977\',\'334978\',\'334979\',\'334980\',\'334982\',\'334983\',\'334984\',\'334934\',\'334947\',\'334948\',\'334950\',\'334992\',\'335014\',\'335026\',\'335030\',\'335032\',\'334864\',\'334862\',\'334861\',\'334858\',\'334855\',\'334852\',\'334850\',\'334849\',\'334848\',\'334847\',\'334844\',\'334842\'))'

I have only placed a dollar sign $ right before the parameter. That's it. A dollar sign before single quotes turns on ANSI-C Quoting