In bash script, how to assign output of a command to a variable while keeping tabs?


 
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# 1  
Old 06-27-2011
In bash script, how to assign output of a command to a variable while keeping tabs?

Hi, wondering if it's been asked before but didn't find matches from google. Basically I have this line:
Code:
myvar=$(echo -e "a\tb")

Now somehow the '\t' from the echo output gets replaced with white space and then stored in $myvar.

It creates a problem for me later to use tab as delimiter to do cut on $myvar. Anyway to keep the tabs?

Last edited by Franklin52; 06-28-2011 at 03:41 AM.. Reason: Please use code tags for code and data samples, thank you
# 2  
Old 06-27-2011
The TAB is still there, you are just printing the variable in a wrong way.. Try this:
Code:
echo "$myvar"

This User Gave Thanks to bartus11 For This Post:
# 3  
Old 06-27-2011
Gosh..I knew it's gonna be easy, but didn't think this easy Smilie Thank you, and dumb me...Smilie
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