Repeats ROS experiments, keeps a notes file in Markdown format

iterate_exp.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# This script calls a certain ROS launch file with incremental experiment numbers,
# and records user notes in order to a markdown (md) file.
# exp_type: name of the launch file
# exp_no: last index to start from
#
#
# usage (arguments are optional):
# ./iterate_exp.sh exp_type exp_no ros_package[optional]

# ros package containing the experiment programs
ros_package="lfd_experiments"

# get user input if arguments are not given
if [ "$#" -lt "1" ]; then
  echo "exp type:"
  read typ
else
  typ=$1
fi
if [ "$#" -lt "2" ]; then
  echo "initial exp_no:"
  read exp
else
  exp=$2
fi
# optional argument
if [ "$#" -eq "3" ]; then
  ros_package=$3
fi


# obj and task info changes rarely, just restart the script if needed
echo "Obj no:"
read obj
echo "Task no:"
read task

# do while user enter "n"
yn="y"

while [ "$yn" == "y" ]
do
  echo "$typ experiment no: $exp"
  # record user's notes before the experiment
  echo "Enter notes:"
  read notes
  # optionally, ignore the experiment, don't write notes etc.
  if [ "$notes" != "ignore" ]; then
    timestamp=`date +"%d/%m/%Y %H:%M"`
    echo -e "\n#### Experiment $exp: [obj $obj, task $task] \n*$timestamp*" >> ${typ}_notes.md
    echo -e "* **before:**\t$notes" >> ${typ}_notes.md
  fi
  # launch the ROS experiment programs
  roslaunch ${ros_package} ${typ}.launch record:=true exp_no:=$exp obj_type:=$obj task_type:=$task
  roslaunch ${ros_package} dump_params.launch exp_no:=$exp prefix:=$typ

  # after experiment, write notes if not ignored
  if [ "$notes" != "ignore" ]; then
    # record user's notes after the experiment
    echo "Enter results:"
    read results
    echo -e "* **after:** \t$results" >> ${typ}_notes.md

    let "exp++"
  fi
  # terminate optionally
  read -p "Repeat experiment? (y/n)" yn

done;

echo "done"