[ILUG] Shell quoting mystery

[Brian Foster]

  | Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 13:42:27 +0200
  | From: Andrew <glug at lunch.za.net>
  |[ ... ]
  | If you want to set up the command in variables beforehand,
  | you could do it like this:
  |   FINDRX_C[0]="-name"
  |   FINDRX_C[1]="core.*"
  |   FINDRX_C[2]="-o"
  |   FINDRX_C[3]="-name"
  |   FINDRX_C[4]="core"
  | # then you see your required result with:
  |   find "${FINDRX_C[@]}"
  | which with set -x says:
  | + find -name 'core.*' -o -name core

 yes, this is another way of specifying array element
 values.  I almost never use it.  surprisingly often,
 the short simple and obvious (but ‘bash’-specific):

      FINDRX_C=( -name core.\* -o -name core )
      find "${FINDRX_C[@]}"

 and variants suffices.

  | At this point, you would be justified in thinking there's a better way.

 why?  a list of strings — which in ‘bash’ is called
 an array — is precisely what is needed.  that is,
 after all, precisely what command arguments are.
 this probably _is_ the best way, albeit you can write
 it in ways which obfuscate the trivialness of it all.

cheers!
	-blf-
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