Re: Cleaning up background processes

In article <20240505214609.114@kylheku.com>,
Kaz Kylheku  <643-408-1753@kylheku.com> wrote:

On 2024-05-05, Christian Weisgerber <naddy@mips.inka.de> wrote:

Is there a standard POSIX shell idiom to clean up background
processes?
>
You have a shell script that starts some background process with &.
Now you want to make sure that the background process terminates
when the shell script terminates.  In particular, when it terminates
due to special circumstances.

>
Maybe have an EXIT trap which calls wait?

The fundamental underlying problem here is that the EXIT trap is only
called on a "normal" exit.  In particular, it does not get called under (at
least) the following circumstances:

    1) User hits ^C causing the script to abort.

    2) Script exits via an "exec" statement.

As I read it, that's what this thread is actually about.

This is a problem I've often grappled with and I'm convinced that there is
no universal solution.

Having said that, I think we are all making our own assumptions about what
the actual, underlying problem is.  Given that OP is not a newbie, it would
help a lot if he would clarify what exact situation he is dealing with,
rather than have us all guess (which is SOP when the poster *is* a newbie).

--
Indeed, most .NET developers couldn't pass CS101 at a third-rate
community college.
- F. Russell -