More BASH questions

[Matthew S-H]

I just have a few questions...  I've looked in the "Advanced Bash- 
Scripting Guide" as someone else had suggested.  It has answered a  
lot of my questions.  However, I still have a few that I can't seem  
to find the answer to.  Anyone that could help me/answer a few of  
these questions would have my gratitude.
Also, since this obviously isn't the right place to be asking these  
questions, can anyone either give me a link to a more appropriate  
listserv or (if they are BASH mavericks) offer to help me offlist??   
This way I don't have to bother everyone.

1.  How can I get find -exec to operate properly on "{" inside of a  
replacement "thingy"?  Example:
find -d ./* -exec echo "{}" ${{}//"e"/"h"} \;

2.  I believe the following is interpreting "09" to be a ASCII  
reference (not sure though).  What would be a good workaround for this?:
user at host:~$ file_prompt.sh ~/test/
1:example_file1         7:example_file15        13:example_file6
2:example_file10        8:example_file16        14:example_file7
3:example_file11        9:example_file2         15:example_file8
4:example_file12        10:example_file3        16:example_file9
5:example_file13        11:example_file4
6:example_file14        12:example_file5
Choose:   09/Users/matt/my_bin/auxiliary_scripts/file_prompt.sh: line  
64: 09: value too great for base (error token is "09")
/Users/matt/my_bin/auxiliary_scripts/file_prompt.sh: line 1: 09:  
value too great for base (error token is "09")
-

3.  Can someone please just look at my code and answer the following  
2 questions?

a.    How come the following is happening?
user at host:~$ Script_template.sh test "foo bar"
center.sh:  String length greater than width!

b.    Is there a better way to take in input from commands than "$(< / 
dev/stdin)"?


======================================================================== 
========
file_prompt.sh
------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
--------
#!/bin/bash
E_FILE_DOES_NOT_EXIST=85
E_PERM_DENIED=87
E_FILE_NOT_DIR=88
E_NEED_ARGS=95
E_INVALID_USER_INPUT=98
work_dir="$1"                   # directory to work in
prompt="${2-"Choose"}"          # prompt to show user
#chosen_num                     # Num from prompt
#chosen_file                    # Name of chosen file
max_tries=3                     # Max num of prompts if invalid file  
selected
if test -z $work_dir -o -z "$prompt"
then
    echo "$(basename $0):  Missing arguments!" > /dev/stderr
    exit $E_NEED_ARGS
elif [[ ! -e "$work_dir" ]]
then
    echo "$(basename $0):  \"$work_dir\" does not exist!" > /dev/stderr
    exit $E_FILE_DOES_NOT_EXIST
elif [[ ! -d "$work_dir" ]]
then
    echo "$(basename $0):  \"$work_dir\" is not a directory!" > /dev/ 
stderr
    exit $E_FILE_NOT_DIR
elif [[ ! -x "$work_dir" ]]
then
    echo "$(basename $0):  You do not have permission to list the  
files in \"$work_dir\"!" > /dev/stderr
    exit $E_PERM_DENIED
fi
command ls "$work_dir" | grep -n -v 'randtonotmatch' | column > /dev/ 
stderr
num_files=$(command ls $work_dir | grep -c -v 'randtonotmatch')
digits=1
while (( $num_files >= 10 ))
do
    ((digits += 1))
    ((num_files /= 10))
done
num_files=$(command ls "$work_dir" | grep -c -v 'randtonotmatch')
tries_left=$((max_tries - 1))
read -p "$prompt:   " -n $digits chosen_num > /dev/stderr
while [[ ( ! $num_files -ge $((chosen_num)) || $((chosen_num)) -eq  
0 ) && $tries_left -ge 1 ]]
do
    echo -e "\nInvalid file selection!  You have $tries_left tries  
left." > /dev/stderr
    read -p "$prompt:   " -n $digits chosen_num > /dev/stderr
    ((tries_left -= 1))
done
chosen_file=$(command ls "$work_dir" | grep -n -v 'randtonotmatch' |  
grep ^$((chosen_num)): | cut -d ":" -f 2-)
if [[ $tries_left -eq 0 && ! -e "$chosen_file" ]]
then
    echo
    echo -e "$(basename $0):  You have repeatedly chosen an invalid  
file!  This program will now quit." > /dev/stderr
    exit $E_INVALID_USER_INPUT
fi
echo " - $chosen_file" > /dev/stderr
echo "$chosen_file" >&1
======================================================================== 
========
script_template.sh (3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
--------
#!/bin/bash

filename="$1"               # filename for script
description="$2"            # script description
bw=50                       # width of header box

#echo "$(center.sh $(split_string.sh "$description" 5) $bw '#' '#')"  
 >> $filename
echo "$(split_string.sh "$description" 5 | center.sh $(< /dev/stdin)  
$bw '#' '#')" >> $filename

======================================================================== 
========
center.sh (3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
--------
#!/bin/bash
E_WRONG_INPUT=97
text="$1"
width=$2
prefix="$3"
suffix="$4"
whitespace=$((width-${#text}))

if ((whitespace < 0))
then
    echo "$(basename $0):  String length greater than width!" > /dev/ 
stderr
    exit $E_WRONG_INPUT
fi
odd_offset=$((whitespace % 2))
before="$(string_mult.sh ' ' $((whitespace / 2 - ${#prefix})) )"
after="$(string_mult.sh ' ' $((whitespace / 2 + odd_offset - $ 
{#suffix})) )"
echo "$prefix$before$text$after$suffix"

======================================================================== 
========
string_mult.sh (3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
--------
#!/bin/bash
text="$1"
mult=$2
ans=""

while [ $mult -gt 0 ]
do
    ans="$ans$text"
    mult=$((mult - 1))
done
echo "$ans"

======================================================================== 
========
split_string.sh (3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
--------
#!/bin/bash
string="$1"
max_per_section=$2

for word in "$string"
do
    if (($((${#word} + ${#this_line})) < $max_per_section))
     then
       this_line="$this_line $word"
     else
       echo -n "$this_line" >&1
       this_line="$word"
    fi
done
echo "$this_line"

======================================================================== 
========






Thanks to all who respond,
~Matt