What does EOFD mean?

acronym, bash, definition

Solution

In the context of the question you reference, `EOFD` doesn't mean anything special, it's just the start of a bash here document.

From the Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide:

A here document is a special-purpose code block. It uses a form of I/O redirection to feed a command list to an interactive program or a command, such as ftp, cat, or the ex text editor.

COMMAND <<InputComesFromHERE
...
...
...
InputComesFromHERE

A limit string delineates (frames) the command list. The special symbol `<<` precedes the limit string. This has the effect of redirecting the output of a command block into the `stdin` of the program or command. It is similar to `interactive-program < command-file`, where `command-file` contains

command #1
command #2
...

The `here document` equivalent looks like this:

interactive-program <<LimitString
command #1
command #2
...
LimitString

Choose a `limit string` sufficiently unusual that it will not occur anywhere in the command list and confuse matters.

So in that question, the author was sending commands to `ftp` as if using it interactively.

Problem

While browsing SO I sometimes see EOFD for example: ``` ftp -vn <$hostname> <<EOFD ``` Yes I tried Google with no luck, just in case you are wondering.

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