shift

Additional Notes

shift is a shell command used to shift shell positional parameters. It drops the first positional parameter ($1) and shifts the remaining ones down, used for iterating through script arguments.

shift is specified by POSIX. Optionally pass a number like shift 2 to remove multiple parameters at once.

Syntax

shift [arguments]

Parameters

• options: Flags that change how shift behaves.
• arguments: Values consumed by the shell builtin or script command.
• command: Command line to run, test, wrap, or control.

Common Options

• --help: Show command help when supported.
• --version: Show version information when supported.

Examples

shift --help
man shift

Practical Notes

Options can vary by distribution and package version. Use man shift, shift --help, or the package documentation for exact syntax.