bash command cat doesn't work inside an if statement-CodePudding

I can create a file with content using a bash script with the cat command like so:

#!/bin/sh

cat >myFyle.txt <<EOL
Some text inside the file
EOL

This works as intended. But when I try to use this inside an if statement like so:

#!/bin/sh

if true; then
    cat >myFyle.txt <<EOL
    Some text inside the file
    EOL
fi

I get the error message:

Syntax error: end of file unexpected (expecting "fi")

Why does this not work and how do I use cat correctly inside an if statement?

Note: The condition for the if statement is exemplary. This is just to ensure that the example executes the code.

CodePudding user response：

The ending delimiter line has to exactly EOL. No spaces in front.

if true; then
    cat >myFyle.txt <<EOL
    Some text inside the file
EOL
#^^^ Spaces above will be preserved!
fi

You can use <<-EOL and then use a tab (not spaces!) in front, which will be ignored.

if true; then
    cat >myFyle.txt <<-EOL
    Some text inside the file
    EOL
#^^^ - This is a tab. Tabs in front will be ignored.
fi