escape sequence for $

shreekrishnagd · #1 (**permalink**) 08-26-2008

Hi all,
I have a requirement where the variable name starts with $, like
$Amd=/home/student/test/
How to work wit it? can some one help me, am in gr8 confusion

otheus · #2 (**permalink**) 08-26-2008

Which shell, which language?

I don't think this is possible with sh/ksh/bash/awk/perl/php.

drl · #3 (**permalink**) 08-26-2008

Hi.

Quote:

name
A word consisting solely of letters, numbers, and underscores, and beginning with a letter or underscore. Names are used as shell variable and function names. Also referred to as an identifier.

-- excerpt from Bash Reference Manual

Note that the $ is not listed.

There is a way that the look of your requirement can be done -- essentially as an indirect assignment:

Code:

#!/bin/bash -

# @(#) z1       Demonstrate indirect assignment.

echo
a=0
b=1
a=b
echo " first assignment a = $a, b = $b"

echo
$a=2
echo " second assignment a = $a, b = $b"

echo
eval $a=2
echo " eval assignment a = $a, b = $b"

exit

Producing:

Code:

% ./z1

 first assignment a = b, b = 1

./z1: line 12: b=2: command not found
 second assignment a = b, b = 1

 eval assignment a = b, b = 2

However, in general, $ is used as the dereferencing operator in shells. In elementary perl, it must be used to identify scalar variables ... cheers, drl

shreekrishnagd · #4 (**permalink**) 08-26-2008

I dint understand how ur solution could help me out in my requirment. If we have $ before any variable the flie throws an error message how to escape it....?????

broli · #5 (**permalink**) 08-26-2008

dont post the same thing twice
Usage of $ as variable name

go read the rules

vidyadhar85 · #6 (**permalink**) 08-26-2008

so bottom line is you can't have a variable name starting with '$'???

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