Shell string array


 
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# 1  
Old 05-16-2012
Shell string array

Hi all,

I want to create an array variable in shell, for example:
Code:
#!/bin/sh
name[0]="foo"
name[1]="bar"
name[2]="baz"

But above code didn't work, I also tried with:
Code:
name=(foo bar baz)

and
Code:
set -A name foo bar baz

but none of these worked.

Another question is how to know the shell version on my Ubuntu system?
I tried
Code:
/bin/sh --version

and
Code:
sh --version

, but both failed.

Thanks for your help.
Roy987

Last edited by Roy987; 05-16-2012 at 07:32 AM..
# 2  
Old 05-17-2012
/bin/sh on ubuntu is always bash. Unless you opted to use another POSIX compliant shell on install.

Does
Code:
ls -l /bin/sh /bin/bash /usr/bin/bash
echo $SHELL

provide any enlightenment?

Last edited by jim mcnamara; 05-17-2012 at 10:01 PM..
This User Gave Thanks to jim mcnamara For This Post:
# 3  
Old 05-18-2012
The following is the output from terminal with command
Code:
ls -l /bin/sh

output:
Code:
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2011-05-07 19:49 /bin/sh -> dash

I didn't change anything, so /bin/sh should default point to dash, maybe there isn't array in dash.
Thanks.
# 4  
Old 05-18-2012
/bin/sh on Ubuntu is dash, it is fast, but no-thrills and strictly POSIX compliant shell and therefore it does not know arrays. Arrays should not be used in combination with /bin/sh (on any system), if it does work it is pure happenstance.

Use /bin/bash or /bin/ksh (which is /bin/ksh93) instead..

Last edited by Scrutinizer; 05-18-2012 at 02:29 AM..
# 5  
Old 05-18-2012
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrutinizer
/bin/sh should not be used on any system in combination with /bin/sh, if it does work it is pure happenstance.
What does that means ?
Quote:
... or /bin/ksh (which is /bin/ksh93) instead..
Beware that on Linux, ksh is more commonly pdksh, which doesn't support all arrays features ksh93 and bash provide.
# 6  
Old 05-18-2012
LOL, I meant to say arrays.. Corrected in post.
On Ubuntu ksh is the real ksh, and I think on most modern Linux distributions the default ksh has become ksh93.

Last edited by Scrutinizer; 05-18-2012 at 02:46 AM..
This User Gave Thanks to Scrutinizer For This Post:
# 7  
Old 05-18-2012
Thanks.
Quite beyond my question. Really learned a lot.
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