[ale] Partial interpretation in a bash script

[Geoffrey]

Bjorn Dittmer-Roche wrote:

> $ script \\\\
> 
> will put \\ into the variable $@ (or $*, which I think is the same
> thing).

I seem to remember there was a difference in $@ and $* from my early 
shell days, but couldn't put my finger on it.  I couldn't find a 
reference to it.  I dug up my old ksh book and did in fact find that 
there is a difference, although that difference is not emulated in pdksh.

Here's what I've found to be true for pdksh and bash, by way of an example:


script:

for i in "$*"; do
echo $i
done
 

echo

for i in "$@"; do
echo $i
done


execute: foo "one two" three


output:

one two three

one two
three

Note, the double quotes around 'one two' cause them to be interpreted by 
the script as a single argument when '$*' is used.

This, by the way is not what the real korn ksh does.  One of the few 
things I've found where pdksh does not mimic the original.

-- 
Until later, Geoffrey	esoteric at 3times25.net

Building secure systems inspite of Microsoft