A Successful Collaboration on Bash Scripting

 

Daily Work Report: A Successful Collaboration on Bash Scripting

Date: July 22, 2025

Project: YAML File Processing and Validation Automation

Collaborators: Gemini (AI Assistant) & User (Subject Matter Expert)

1. Overview of Today's Achievements

Today's session focused on developing and refining a suite of Bash scripts designed to automate the processing and validation of YAML configuration files and their associated CSV data. Through iterative development and close collaboration, we successfully addressed several complex challenges, culminating in robust and reliable solutions.

2. Key Tasks and Resolutions

Our primary objectives and their successful resolutions include:

• YAML File Splitting (yaml-splitter):

  • Problem: Initially, the script for splitting a large YAML file into individual block-specific .yml files encountered "Bad file descriptor" errors and created unintended "parasite" files. The requirement was also to ensure only content up to and including the baseMap section was retained.

  • Resolution: After several iterations, including refining awk's file handling (close(), print >, print >>) and precisely controlling the output stream to /dev/stderr for status messages, the script now accurately splits the YAML file. The logic was enhanced to correctly identify the end of the baseMap section and cease writing, ensuring clean, truncated output files without extraneous lines.

• YAML Mapping Validation (yaml-mapping-parser):

  • Problem: The script designed to validate the baseMap layout against actual CSV files faced significant challenges. It initially struggled to correctly extract fileLocation, fileName, and the baseMap's column count, particularly for blocks beyond the first one in a multi-block YAML file, and later, for individual split YAML files. This led to persistent "baseMap not found or is empty" errors and various awk parsing syntax issues.

  • Resolution: This was the most challenging aspect. We initially attempted to use awk for the YAML parsing within the validation function, which proved brittle. The breakthrough came from reverting the YAML parsing logic within the validate section back to a proven Bash while loop with sed and grep for pattern matching and state management. This approach, which was robust in an earlier version (validate_file_mappinglayout4.sh), reliably extracts the necessary YAML metadata. The final CSV column validation still leverages awk effectively.

• Automated Validation Orchestration and Reporting (bash-sequential-summary-report):

  • Problem: The initial version of the orchestrator script, which calls yaml-mapping-parser for each .yml file, failed to correctly update the summary counters (Total, Succeeded, Failed). This was due to the while read loop executing in a subshell, preventing variable propagation. Additionally, the success/failure determination was not robustly based on the actual output messages from the validation script.

  • Resolution: The subshell issue was resolved by using process substitution (<()) with the find command, ensuring the while loop runs in the current shell. The success/failure detection was refined to explicitly look for the "Error:" string in the validation script's output, providing accurate counts for the final summary report.

3. Conclusion

Today's collaborative effort has resulted in a robust set of Bash scripts that streamline YAML configuration processing and validation. Despite encountering several complex parsing and shell-specific challenges, the iterative problem-solving approach, combined with the user's keen eye for detail and precise feedback, led to successful and reliable solutions. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the Gemini-User partnership in tackling intricate scripting problems.

We are confident that the developed tools will significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of YAML file management and CSV data validation.