bash set variable from commandline argument

Question

cat ./1.sh

#!/bin/bash
echo $1
set var1 = $1
echo var1 is $var1

kostas@elem:~/1$ argument1 var1 is

How to set var1 from first commandline argument?

chepner · Accepted Answer · 2013-12-18 21:18:06Z

34

The correct assignment is simply the following, with no spaces on either side of the equal sign:

var1=$1

The command set var1 = $1 actually does the following:

Sets the value of $1 to "var1"
Sets the value of $2 to "="
Sets the value of $3 to the original first parameter $1.

answered Dec 18, 2013 at 21:18

chepner

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6 Comments

user3116685 Over a year ago

Thanks, Im newbie in bash

mklement0 Over a year ago

+1. To summarize: Do not use set for variable assignment (it serves a different purpose - see help set); instead, use <varname>=<value>, and be sure not to use whitespace on either side of the =.

Agent Friday Over a year ago

@glennjackman, nowhere does that link explain how to set a variable.

glenn jackman Over a year ago

You're right. Amazing it took 6 years for someone to point that out.

chepner Over a year ago

@Daniel It's fine; a parameter expansion on the RHS of an assignment is not subject to word-splitting or pathname expansion. If you are more comfortable doing so, var="$1" is fine as well; the quotes are removed as usual before assigning the result to var.

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