Space required before and after script = sign

Question

I am trying to run a script from an SD card file config. It seems like my device wont run the script file from note pad. Do I need a space before or after = sign

overall help

Remove SD card and insert into a windows computer. Download the "RSM_config.txt" from the OPS1 webpage. Use a test editor and edit the file as follows.

            NOTE:  After editing this file MAKE A COPY.  
    For security reasons this file will be deleted from the SD card after the first boot.

Freq Options are 1: 162.400, 2: 162.425, 3: 162.450, 4: 162.475, 5: 162.500, 6: 162.525, 7: 162.550 The Site Frequency should entered as a number 1,2,3,4,5,6 or 7.

The Site ID should be the Station ID (callsign) from the broadcast license. Ex KEC-60 should be added as KEC60 with no spaces for dashes.

The Unit ID should be the number of RSM units within the Site ID listening area (If you only have 1 RSM then put "1".

Device Email is the your email username used to send out and collect information. This will be encrypted.

Device PassWD should be the your user password of the master email account for the office. This will be encrypted and then deleted.

Authorized Email List is a list users allowed to request information, all @NOAA.GOV emails already have access so only non-@NOAA.GOV need to be added.

Send and SAME email lists are the list you want all messages sent and then a list to send just SAME messages to. ******The system will automatically create and populate email folders for LOGS, SAME and SIGNAL.

12Z Status indicates if you wish to receive an audio sample and the Signal, SAME, and Error daily reports. ******The system will automatically create and populate email folders for LOGS, SAME and SIGNAL.

Signal Quality is the lower dbm threshold you wish to receive Alerts. (default is -100). Use this setting unless instructed otherwise. Always enter this number without the - sign.

If the WIFI option is set to WEP, WPA, OPEN or Hidden. The unit will try to attach to the ssid entered with the password that you supply. It will also install a cron entry that will check the network connectivity every 5 min.

SMTP-PORT is the SMTP port you want to use for the email server. The default port is 465 (SSL) and the TLS option is 587. If you wish to use TLS set this to 587, Gmail is the default mail server.

Any option you do not wish to use please leave that line blank or delete it completely from the file. The defaults will still be used.

Start of configuration......

Freq1 = 7 SiteID= kec61

Answer 1

Do I need a space before or after = sign

If you mean a POSIX shell script and you are assigning a variable, then there must be no spaces around the equal sign. If you want to assign a string beginning with whitespace, use quotes:

foo=" bar"

However, if you are using =, the comparison operator in test (or square brackets, which are a shorthand for test), then there should be either be a space on both sides (beware it will work without any spaces, but not as intended...). And yes, = is a comparison operator in shell, synonymous with == (except within bash's [[ ]], see here) -- and it tests for string equality, not numerical (although since numbers can be treated as strings, this can be a subtle distinction).