UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hi, i would like to ask that:
If u need to do something like this:
counter = 1;
so that $($counter) = $1, and when u counter++, $($counter) will become $2. How can we do this?

To start with, something like:
eval echo \$$counter
will do what you want. But this a terrible way to loop through the parameters. It will not be general. After $9 you be stuck. There is no $10.

One way to loop though the parms is
#! /usr/bin/ksh
for parm ; do
echo $parm is a parameter
done

when you leave off the "in" cause of a "for" statement, you will automatically loop though the parameters.

The next way, and the more common solution, is to use the "shift" command. When the script executes a "shift", $1 disappears. And what used to be $2 is now $1 and so on.