Shell Script Error : too many arguments in input line - bash

Question

There is a file lets say List.txt and it contains the information of files which has to be copy from server to machine and then delete.
When shell scripts executes, it reads the List.txt file, store the files names in a variable, copy files from server to machine and then delete the server's files.
if file List.txt contains upto 16 file names then it's working fine.
in case of List.txt contains more than 16 files it gives error.
Error : too many arguments in input line
Any idea on it.
#Path of Log file
logdir="$HOME/log"
ftp="/usr/bin/ftp"
IP="192.168.1.199"
#User ID to login into remote server
user="tux"
#Password to login in remote server
pass="tux"
#Mention the path where the files will come in the current server
getlocaldir="/home/local/in"
#Mention the path where the FILEs are to FTP(get) in the remote server
getremotedir="/home/remote/out"
#Mention type of data transfer "asc" or "bin"
type="asc"
#date of FTP - Current date
dd=`date +%d`
# Creating a log file with datestamp
log="$logdir/wns_ft.log"
host=`hostname`
rc=0
boj=`date`
#current business date
BUSINESS_DATE=$HOME/file/businessdate
#==================
# Get Business Date
#==================
if [ ! -s $BUSINESS_DATE ]
then
echo -e "Get system date as the business date" >>$log
BDATE=`date +%y%m%d`
else
BDATE=`cut -c3-8 $BUSINESS_DATE` 2>>$log
fi
echo -e "Current business date: $BDATE" >>$log
#a text file contains the name of all file which has to be copied
bingoFileName=List.txt
dogetftp ()
{
LOCAL=$1
REMOTE=$2
echo "================================================"
echo "== Receiving Files From $IP =="
echo "================================================"
exec 4>&1
ftp -nv >&4 2>&1 |&
pid2=$!
print -p open $IP
print -p user $user $pass
print -p asc
print -p lcd $LOCAL
print -p cd $REMOTE
print -p pwd
print -p prompt
print -p mget $fileNamesListStr
print -p mdelete $fileNamesListStr $bingoFileName
print -p bye
wait $pid2
}
# method to get the bingo file containing plu-files-names to download
dogetbingo ()
{
LOCAL=$1
REMOTE=$2
echo "================================================"
echo "== Receiving Bingo file From $IP =="
echo "================================================"
exec 4>&1
ftp -nv >&4 2>&1 |&
pid2=$!
print -p open $IP
print -p user $user $pass
print -p asc
print -p lcd $LOCAL
print -p cd $REMOTE
print -p pwd
print -p prompt
print -p mget $bingoFileName
print -p bye
wait $pid2
}
# Method to read content of bingo file and creates file name string.
doreadBingo () {
echo "================================================"
echo "= Begin Reading Bingo File ="
echo "================================================"
LOCAL=$1
cd $LOCAL
if test -f $bingoFileName # Check if the bingo file exists
then
while read -r line
do
fileNamesListStr="$fileNamesListStr $line"
done < $bingoFileName
fi
echo "Files to download: $fileNamesListStr "
echo "================================================"
echo "= End Reading Bingo File ="
echo "================================================"
}
docheckget () {
LOCAL=$1
REMOTE=$2
DNLD_SUCCESS=`grep 'local: PLU' $log`
echo "SUCCESS: "$DNLD_SUCCESS
if [ "X$DNLD_SUCCESS" == "X" ]
then
NOT_FND_FILE_NAME="PLUNOTFOUND`date +%Y%m%d`.txt"
touch $LOCAL/$NOT_FND_FILE_NAME
echo "================================================"
echo "== Sending PLUNOTFOUND File to $IP =="
echo "================================================"
exec 4>&1
ftp -nv >&4 2>&1 |&
pid2=$!
print -p open $IP
print -p user $user $pass
print -p asc
print -p lcd $LOCAL
print -p cd $REMOTE
print -p pwd
print -p prompt
print -p put $NOT_FND_FILE_NAME
print -p bye
wait $pid2
rm $LOCAL/$NOT_FND_FILE_NAME
fi
}
case $1 in
mget)
#cd $localdir
exec 1>$log 2>&1
echo "---------------------------------------------------"
echo " Transfer bingo file "
echo "---------------------------------------------------"
dogetbingo $getlocaldir $getremotedir
echo "---------------------------------------------------"
echo " Read bingo file for file names to download "
echo "---------------------------------------------------"
doreadBingo $getlocaldir
echo "---------------------------------------------------"
echo " Begin FTP Session "
echo "---------------------------------------------------"
if [ "X$fileNamesListStr" != "X" ]
then
dogetftp $getlocaldir $getremotedir
docheckget $getlocaldir $getremotedir
else
echo "Nothing in Bingo file to download"
fi
echo "---------------------------------------------------"
echo " End FTP Session "
echo "---------------------------------------------------" ;;
esac
exit 0

Answer 1

I suspect this is a limitation with mget within your FTP client (or at the server end, possibly).
Best advice is to actually create one get line per file in $fileNamesListStr within the dogetftp() function.
For example:
dogetftp ()
{
LOCAL=$1
REMOTE=$2
echo "================================================"
echo "== Receiving Files From $IP =="
echo "================================================"
exec 4>&1
ftp -nv >&4 2>&1 |&
pid2=$!
print -p open $IP
print -p user $user $pass
print -p asc
print -p lcd $LOCAL
print -p cd $REMOTE
print -p pwd
print -p prompt
### Begin change here.
for fspec in $fileNamesListStr ; do
print -p get $fspec
print -p delete $fspec
done
print -p delete $bingoFileName
### End change here.
print -p bye
wait $pid2
}