$1 is the first command-line argument passed to the shell script. Also, know as Positional parameters. … $0 is the name of the script itself (script.sh) $1 is the first argument (filename1) $2 is the second argument (dir1)

What does dollar mean in Unix?

The dollar sign prompt (or a prompt ending with a dollar sign) means that UNIX is now ready to interpret and execute your commands as typed in from your keyboard.

What is $? In Unix shell script?

$? -The exit status of the last command executed. $0 -The filename of the current script. $# -The number of arguments supplied to a script. $$ -The process number of the current shell. For shell scripts, this is the process ID under which they are executing.