4.5. Variables

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This section describes the following:

  • Variable substitution

  • Built-in shell variables

  • Other shell variables

  • Arrays

  • Discipline functions (ksh93 only)

  • Special prompt strings

4.5.1. Variable Substitution

ksh93 provides structured variables, such as pos.x and pos.y. To create either one, pos must already exist, and braces must be used to retrieve their values. Names beginning with .sh are reserved for use by ksh.

No spaces should be used in the following expressions. The colon (:) is optional; if it's included, var must be nonnull as well as set.

var=value ...

Set each variable var to a value.

${var}

Use value of var; braces are optional if var is separated from the following text. They are required for array variables, and in ksh93 if a variable name contains periods.

${var:-value}

Use var if set; otherwise, use value.

${var:=value}

Use var if set; otherwise, use value and assign value to var.

${var:?value}

Use var if set; otherwise, print value and exit (if not interactive). If value isn't supplied, print the phrase "parameter null or not set."

${var:+value}

Use value if var is set; otherwise, use nothing.

${#var}

Use the length of var.

${#*}

Use the number of positional parameters.

${#@}

Same.

${var#pattern}

Use value of var after removing pattern from the left. Remove the shortest matching piece.

${var##pattern}

Same as #pattern, but remove the longest matching piece.

${var%pattern}

Use value of var after removing pattern from the right. Remove the shortest matching piece.

${var%%pattern}

Same as %pattern, but remove the longest matching piece.


In ksh93 and Bash:

${!prefix*}, ${!prefix@}

List of variables whose names begin with prefix.

${var:pos}, ${var:pos:len}

Starting at position pos (0-based) in variable var, extract len characters, or rest of string if no len. pos and len may be arithmetic expressions.

${var/pat/repl}

Use value of var, with first match of pat replaced with repl.

${var/pat}

Use value of var, with first match of pat deleted.

${var//pat/repl}

Use value of var, with every match of pat replaced with repl.

${var/#pat/repl}

Use value of var, with match of pat replaced with repl. Match must occur at beginning of the value.

${var/%pat/repl}

Use value of var, with match of pat replaced with repl. Match must occur at end of the value.


In ksh93, indirect variables allow you to "alias" one variable name to affect the value of another. This is accomplished using typeset -n:

     $ greet="hello, world"                     Create initial variable     $ typeset -n friendly_message=greet        Set up alias     $ echo $friendly_message                   Access old value through new name     hello, world     $ friendly_message="don't panic"           Change the value     $ echo $greet                              Old variable is changed     don't panic

Bash has a similar mechanism for indirect variable referencing:

     $ greet="hello, world"                     Create initial variable     $ friendly_message=greet                   Aliasing variable     $ echo ${!friendly_message}                Use the alias     hello, world

4.5.1.1. Examples
     $ u=up d=down blank=               Assign values to three variables (last is null)     $ echo ${u}root                    Braces are needed here     uproot     $ echo ${u-$d}                     Display value of u or d; since u is set, it's printed     up     $ echo ${tmp-'date'}               If tmp is not set, the date command is executed     Mon Aug 30 11:15:23 EDT 2004     $ echo ${blank="no data"}          blank is set, so it is printed (a blank line)     $ echo ${blank:="no data"}         blank is set but null, so the string is printed     no data     $ echo $blank                      blank now has a new value     no data     $ tail=${PWD##*/}  Take the current directory name and remove the      longest character string ending with /, which      removes the leading pathname and leaves the tail

4.5.2. Built-in Shell Variables

Built-in variables are automatically set by the shell and are typically used inside shell scripts. Built-in variables can make use of the variable substitution patterns shown previously. Note that the $ is not actually part of the variable name, although the variable is always referenced this way. The following are available in any Bourne-compatible shell:

$#

Number of command-line arguments.

$-

Options currently in effect (arguments supplied on command line or to set).

$?

Exit value of last executed command.

$$

Process number of current process.

$!

Process number of last background command.

$0

First word; that is, command name. This will have the full pathname if it was found via a PATH search.

$n

Individual arguments on command line (positional parameters). The Bourne shell allows only nine parameters to be referenced directly (n = 1 9); Bash and the Korn shell allow n to be greater than 9 if specified as ${n}.

$*, $@

All arguments on command line ($1 $2 ...).

"$*"

All arguments on command line as one string ("$1 $2..."). The values are separated by the first character in IFS.

"$@"

All arguments on command line, individually quoted ("$1" "$2" ...).


Bash and the Korn shell automatically set these additional variables:

$_

Temporary variable; initialized to pathname of script or program being executed. Later, stores the last argument of previous command. Also stores name of matching MAIL file during mail checks.

HISTCMD

The history number of the current command.

LINENO

Current line number within the script or function.

OLDPWD

Previous working directory (set by cd).

OPTARG

Name of last option processed by getopts.

OPTIND

Numerical index of OPTARG.

PPID

Process number of this shell's parent.

PWD

Current working directory (set by cd).

RANDOM[=n]

Generate a new random number with each reference; start with integer n, if given.

REPLY

Default reply, used by select and read.

SECONDS[=n]

Number of seconds since the shell was started, or, if n is given, number of seconds + n since the shell started.


ksh93 automatically sets these additional variables. Variables whose names contain "." must be enclosed in braces when referenced, e.g., ${.sh.edchar}.

.sh.edchar

The character(s) entered when processing a KEYBD trap. Changing it replaces the characters that caused the trap.

.sh.edcol

The position of the cursor in the most recent KEYBD TRap.

.sh.edmode

Will be equal to ESCAPE if in a KEYBD TRap in vi mode, otherwise empty.

.sh.edtext

The characters in the input buffer during a KEYBD TRap.

.sh.file

The pathename of the current script.

.sh.fun

The name of the current function.

.sh.match

Array variable containing text matched during a variable substitution. Index 0 is the entire value; the others correspond to parenthesized subexpressions.

.sh.name

The name of the variable running a discipline function.

.sh.subscript

The subscript of the variable running a discipline function.

.sh.value

The value of the variable inside the set and get discipline functions.

.sh.version

The version of ksh93.


Bash automatically sets these additional variables. Many of these variables are for use by the Bash Debugger (see http://bashdb.sourceforge.net) or for providing programmable completion (see the section "Programmable Completion (Bash Only)," later in this chapter).

BASH

The full pathname used to invoke this instance of Bash.

BASH_ARGC

Array variable. Each element holds the number of arguments for the corresponding function or dot-script invocation. Set only in extended debug mode, with shopt -s extdebug.

BASH_ARGV

An array variable similar to BASH_ARGC. Each element is one of the arguments passed to a function or dot-script. It functions as a stack, with values being pushed on at each call. Thus, the last element is the last argument to the most recent function or script invocation. Set only in extended debug mode, with shopt -s extdebug.

BASH_COMMAND

The command currently executing or about to be executed. Inside a trap handler, it is the command running when the trap was invoked.

BASH_EXECUTION_STRING

The string argument passed to the -c option.

BASH_LINENO

Array variable, corresponding to BASH_SOURCE and FUNCNAME. For any given function number i (starting at 0), ${FUNCNAME[i]} was invoked in file ${BASH_SOURCE[i]} on line ${BASH_LINENO[i]}. The information is stored with the most recent function invocation first.

BASH_REMATCH

Array variable, assigned by the =~ operator of the [[ ]] construct. Index 0 is the text that matched the entire pattern. The other indices are the text matched by parenthesized subexpressions. This variable is read-only.

BASH_SOURCE

Array variable, containing source filenames. Each element corresponds to those in FUNCNAME and BASH_LINENO.

BASH_SUBSHELL

This variable is incremented by one each time a subshell or subshell environment is created.

BASH_VERSINFO[0]

The major version number, or release, of Bash.

BASH_VERSINFO[1]

The minor version number, or version, of Bash.

BASH_VERSINFO[2]

The patch level.

BASH_VERSINFO[3]

The build version.

BASH_VERSINFO[4]

The release status.

BASH_VERSINFO[5]

The machine type, same value as in MACHTYPE.

BASH_VERSION

A string describing the version of Bash.

COMP_CWORD

For programmable completion. Index into COMP_WORDS, indicating the current cursor position.

COMP_LINE

For programmable completion. The current command line.

COMP_POINT

For programmable completion. The position of the cursor as a character index in COMP_LINE.

COMP_WORDBREAKS

For programmable completion. The characters that the readline library treats as word separators when doing word completion.

COMP_WORDS

For programmable completion. Array variable containing the individual words on the command line.

DIRSTACK

Array variable, containing the contents of the directory stack as displayed by dirs. Changing existing elements modifies the stack, but only pushd and popd can add or remove elements from the stack.

EUID

Read-only variable with the numeric effective UID of the current user.

FUNCNAME

Array variable, containing function names. Each element corresponds to those in BASH_SOURCE and BASH_LINENO.

GROUPS

Array variable containing the list of numeric group IDs in which the current user is a member.

HISTCMD

The history number of the current command.

HOSTNAME

The name of the current host.

HOSTTYPE

A string that describes the host system.

MACHTYPE

A string that describes the host system in the GNU cpu-company-system format.

OSTYPE

A string that describes the operating system.

PIPESTATUS

An array variable containing the exit statuses of the commands in the most recent foreground pipeline.

SHELLOPTS

A colon-separated list of shell options (for set -o). If set in the environment at start-up, Bash enables each option present in the list.

SHLVL

Incremented by one every time a new Bash starts up.

UID

Read-only variable with the numeric real UID of the current user.


4.5.3. Other Shell Variables

The following variables are not automatically set by the shell, although many of them can influence the shell's behavior. They are typically used in your .profile file, where you can define them to suit your needs. Variables can be assigned values by issuing commands of the form:

     variable=value

This list includes the type of value expected when defining these variables. Those that are specific to the Bash shell are marked as (B). Those that are specific to the Korn shell are marked as (K). Those that are specific to ksh93 are marked (K93).

CDPATH=dirs

Directories searched by cd; allows shortcuts in changing directories; unset by default.

COLUMNS=n

Screen's column width; used in line edit modes and select lists.

COMPREPLY=(words ...)

(B) Array variable from which Bash reads the possible completions generated by a completion function.

EDITOR=file

(K) Pathname of line edit mode to turn on (can end in emacs or vi); used when VISUAL is not set.

EMACS

(B) If the value starts with t, Bash assumes it's running in an Emacs buffer and disables line editing.

ENV=file

Name of script that gets executed at start-up; useful for storing alias and function definitions. For example, ENV=$HOME/.kshrc.

FCEDIT=file

Editor used by fc command (default is /bin/ed). Obsoleted in ksh93 by HISTEDIT.

FIGNORE=pattern

(K93) Pattern describing the set of filenames to ignore during pattern matching. (B) Similar: colon-separated list of patterns describing filenames to ignore when doing filename completion.

FPATH=dirs

(K) Directories to search for function definitions; undefined functions are set via typeset -fu; FPATH is searched when these functions are first referenced. (ksh93 also searches PATH.)

GLOBIGNORE=patlist

(B) Colon-separated list of patterns describing the set of filenames to ignore during pattern matching.

HISTCONTROL=list

(B) Colon-separated list of values controlling how commands are saved in the history file. Recognized values are: ignoredups, ignorespace, ignoreboth, and erasedups.

HISTEDIT=file

(K93) Editor used by hist command, if set. Overrides the setting of FCEDIT.

HISTFILE=file

File in which to store command history. For ksh, it must be set before ksh is started, and the default is $HOME/.sh_history. If you use both Bash and ksh, be sure to have different files for this value, as the format of the saved history file is not compatible between the two shells.

HISTFILESIZE=n

(B) Number of lines to be kept in the history file. This may be different than the number of commands.

HISTIGNORE=list

(B) A colon-separated list of patterns that must match the entire command line. Matching lines are not saved in the history file. An unescaped & in a pattern matches the previous history line.

HISTSIZE=n

Number of history commands to be kept in the history file.

HISTTIMEFORMAT=string

(B) A format string for strftime(3) to use for printing timestamps along with commands from the history command. If set (even if null), Bash saves timestamps in the history file along with the commands.

HOME=dir

Home directory; set by login (from /etc/passwd file).

HOSTFILE=file

(B) Name of a file in the same format as /etc/hosts that Bash should use to find hostnames for hostname completion.

IFS='chars'

Input field separators; default is space, tab, and newline.

IGNOREEOF=n

(B) Numeric value indicating how many successive EOF characters must be typed before Bash exits. If null or nonnumeric value, default is 10.

INPUTRC=file

(B) Initialization file for the readline library. This overrides the default value of ~/.inputrc.

LANG=dir

Default value for locale, used if no LC_* variables are set.

LC_ALL=locale

(B, K93) Current locale; overrides LANG and the other LC_* variables.

LC_COLLATE=locale

(B, K93) Locale to use for character collation (sorting order).

LC_CTYPE=locale

(B, K93) Locale to use for character class functions. (See the earlier section "Filename Metacharacters.")

LC_MESSAGES=locale

(B) Locale to use for translating $"..." strings.

LC_NUMERIC=locale

(B, K93) Locale to use for the decimal-point character.

LINES=n

Screen's height; used for select lists.

MAIL=file

Default file to check for incoming mail; set by login.

MAILCHECK=n

Number of seconds between mail checks; default is 600 (10 minutes).

MAILPATH=files

One or more files, delimited by a colon, to check for incoming mail. Along with each file, you may supply an optional message that the shell prints when the file increases in size. Messages are separated from the filename by a ? character, and the default message is You have mail in $_. $_ is replaced with the name of the file. For example, you might have:

     MAILPATH="$MAIL? Candygram!:/etc/motd?New Login Message"

OPTERR=n

(B) When set to 1 (the default value), Bash prints error messages from the built-in getopts command.

PATH=dirlist

One or more pathnames, delimited by colons, in which to search for commands to execute. Default for many systems is /bin:/usr/bin. On Solaris, the default is /usr/bin:. However, the standard start-up scripts change it to:

     /usr/bin:/usr/ucb:/etc:.

ksh93: PATH is also searched for function definitions for undefined functions.

POSIXLY_CORRECT=string

(B) When set at start-up or while running, Bash enters POSIX mode, disabling behavior and modifying features that conflict with the POSIX standard.

PROMPT_COMMAND=command

(B) If set, Bash executes this command each time before printing the primary prompt.

PS1=string

Primary prompt string; default is $.

PS2=string

Secondary prompt (used in multiline commands); default is >.

PS3=string

Prompt string in select loops; default is #?.

PS4=string

Prompt string for execution trace (ksh -x, bash -x, or set -x); default is +.

SHELL=file

Name of default shell (e.g., /bin/sh). Bash sets this if it's not in the environment at start-up.

TERM=string

Terminal type.

TIMEFORMAT=string

(B) A format string for the output for the time keyword.

TMOUT=n

If no command is typed after n seconds, exit the shell. Also affects the read command and the select loop.

VISUAL=path

(K) Same as EDITOR, but VISUAL is checked first.

auto_resume=list

(B) Enables the use of simple strings for resuming stopped jobs. With a value of exact, the string must match a command name exactly. With a value of substring, it can match a substring of the command name.

histchars=chars

(B) Two or three characters that control Bash's csh-style history expansion. The first character signals a history event. The second is the "quick substitution" character; the third indicates the start of a comment. The default value is !^#.


4.5.4. Arrays

Both shells support one-dimensional arrays . The first element is numbered 0. Bash has no limit on the number of elements. ksh88 allowed up 1024 elements, early versions of ksh93 allowed at least 4096 elements, and modern versions allow up to 65,536 elements. Arrays are initialized with a special form of assignment:

     message=(hi there how are you today)          Bash and ksh93

where the specified values become elements of the array. The Korn shell has an additional syntax:

     set -A message hi there how are you today     Ksh88 and ksh93

Individual elements may also be assigned to:

     message[0]=hi                                 This is the hard way     message[1]=there     message[2]=how     message[3]=are     message[4]=you     message[5]=today

Declaring arrays is not required. Any valid reference to a subscripted variable can create an array.

When referencing arrays , use the ${ ... } syntax. This isn't needed when referencing arrays inside (( )) (the form of let that does automatic quoting). Note that [ and ] are typed literally (i.e., they don't stand for optional syntax).

${name[i]}

Use element i of array name. i can be any arithmetic expression as described under let.

${name}

Use element 0 of array name.

${name[*]}

Use all elements of array name.

${name[@]}

Same.

${#name[*]}

Use the number of elements in array name.

${#name[@]}

Same.


ksh93 provides associative arrays , where the indices are strings instead of numbers (as in awk). In this case, [ and ] act like double quotes. Associative arrays are created with typeset -A. A special syntax allows assigning to multiple elements at once:

     data=([joe]=30 [mary]=25)

The values would be retrieved as ${data[joe]} and ${data[mary]}.

4.5.5. Discipline Functions (ksh93 Only)

Along with structured variables, ksh93 introduces discipline functions . These are special functions that are called whenever a variable's value is accessed or changed. For a shell variable named x, you can define the following functions:

x.get

Called when x's value is retrieved ($x).

x.set

Called when x's value is changed (x=2).

x.unset

Called when x is unset (unset x).


Within the discipline functions, special variables provide information about the variable being changed:

.sh.name

The name of the variable being changed.

.sh.subscript

The subscript of the array element being changed.

.sh.value

The value of the variable being assigned or returned. Changing it within the discipline function changes the value that is actually assigned or returned.


4.5.6. Special Prompt Strings

Both shells process the value of PS1 for special strings. The Korn shell expands a single ! into the current command number. Use !! to get a literal !. For example:

     PS1='cmd !> '

Bash processes the values of PS1, PS2, and PS4 for the following special escape sequences.

\a

An ASCII BEL character (octal 07).

\A

The current time in 24-hour HH:MM format.

\d

The date in "weekday month day" format.

\D{format}

The date as specified by the strftime(3) format format. The braces are required.

\e

An ASCII Escape character (octal 033).

\h

The hostname, up to the first period.

\H

The full hostname.

\j

The current number of jobs.

\l

The basename of the shell's terminal device.

\n

A newline character.

\r

A carriage return character.

\s

The name of the shell (basename of $0).

\t

The current time in 24-hour HH:MM:SS format.

\T

The current time in 12-hour HH:MM:SS format.

\u

The current user's username.

\v

The version of Bash.

\V

The release (version plus patchlevel) of Bash.

\w

The current directory, with $HOME abbreviated as ~.

\W

The basename of the current directory, with $HOME abbreviated as ~.

\!

The history number of this command.

\#

The command number of this command.

\$

If the effective UID is 0, a #, otherwise a $.

\@

The current time in 12-hour a.m./p.m. format.

\nnn

The character represented by octal value nnn.

\\

A literal backslash.

\[

Start a sequence of nonprinting characters, such as for highlighting or changing colors on a terminal.

\]

End a sequence of nonprinting characters.


In addition, some or all of the PS1-PS4 variables undergo different substitutions, as outlined in the following table:

Substitution

ksh88

ksh93

Bash

! for command number

PS1

PS1

 

Escape sequences

  

PS1, PS2, PS4

Variable substitution

PS1

PS1

PS1, PS2, PS4

Command substitution

 

PS1

PS1, PS2, PS4

Arithmetic substitution

 

PS1

PS1, PS2, PS4


In Bash, the escape sequences are processed first, and then, if the promptvars shell option is enabled via the shopt command (the default), the substitutions are performed.

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    Unix in a Nutshell
    Unix in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition
    ISBN: 0596100299
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 201

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