Linux Shell Scripting - bash: ELF command not found

6 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/linux-shell-scripting-bash-elf-command-not-found.97635/

Hello.!
I have a executable tbc stored at $HOME/abc/xyz/tbc.Now, if I try running the executable with ". $HOME/abc/xyz/tbc" or "source $HOME/abc/xyz/tbc", it gives a message:
bash: ELF : command not found
But if I first cd to $HOME/abc/xyz and then run"./tbc", it works just fine.
What's the issue here.?
Thanks.!

Works fine for me. Can you show us your script?

The executable I am talking about is the Befunge Compiler.It can be found here.I compiled the C source file and am trying to the executable when it comes up with the error.

When you use source, you're asking the shell to interpret the file. When you try to source a binary executable, it'll try to interpret it and fail. Use source only on scripts which the shell can understand.

Sykora said:
When you use source, you're asking the shell to interpret the file. When you try to source a binary executable, it'll try to interpret it and fail. Use source only on scripts which the shell can understand.

But that doesn't explain why the executable works when I cd to it's directory and then source it.

shady_inc said:
". $HOME/abc/xyz/tbc"

This is definitely wrong, no wonder it's giving you a problem. It can be $HOME/abc/xyz/tbc but not this.

shady_inc said:
"source $HOME/abc/xyz/tbc", it gives a message:
bash: ELF : command not found

Here's the description of source from the man pages

source - Evaluate a file or resource as a Tcl script

definitely not what you want.

shady_inc said:
But if I first cd to $HOME/abc/xyz and then run"./tbc", it works just fine.
What's the issue here.?
Thanks.!

Cos you're running the executable file itself out here.