Text file to Variable, Can't get a PID from a PIDFile into a shell variable Options

[Matty87]

Hi all, hopefully someone can help me

I've got a script for a gaming server, the gaming server creates a PID file when it starts up (the only thing within the pid file is the number combo which is the current PID)
Anyway, i'm making a script which has the option to kill the server and i'm trying to read the PID file and put the PID into a variable so i can kill it with the kill command

Now i thought the way to do it was something like this

CODE

savedpid='cat $PIDFILE.pid'
kill $savedpid

but all i get saved as the variable is ='cat $PIDFILE.pid'
Thus kill spurts out a non-pid error

./start: line 42: kill: cat: arguments must be process or job IDs
./start: line 42: kill: $PIDFILE.pid: arguments must be process or job IDs

Can anyone tell me what the correct command is?
Everything i've managed to find on the net sez thats correct maybe its the outdate OS that i'm running on (unfortunately due to a fool/idiot/moron hoster/owner the OS can't be updated/changed
I think its runnings some ancient copy of Debian Etch (an OS that isn't even really suited for gaming servers....)

Anyway, any help would be great
Thanks

ps, i would just kill everything with a wild card "killall <bleh>*" but unfortunately some of our machines have 2 or more servers within the same account so running that command would kill all the servers instead of just the one you want (which i know would be easily remedied by making multiple accounts, but the sys-op is a lazy fool who takes months just to add an IP to the shell access list....let alone make new accounts *gasp*)

Cheers

[michaelk]

Are you using backticks in your command? It is the key next to the 1 on standard keyboards.
Use ` not '

savedpid=`cat $PIDFILE.pid`