pjh@mccc.UUCP (Pete Holsberg) (07/18/89)
If I assign a shell variable a value that contains an asterisk, the
shell behaves strangely if there is a space adjacent to said asterisk.
For example,
x='*z'
echo ${x}
produces
*z
but
x='* z'
echo ${x}
produces
(a list of all the files in the current directory) z
What does the space have to do with this?
Please mail and I'll summarize if there is interest. Thanks.
--
Pete Holsberg -- Mercer College -- Trenton, NJ 08690
...!rutgers!njin!princeton!njsmu!mccc!pjhIA80001@MAINE.BITNET (George Newell) (07/20/89)
When you put the asterisk (*) on a line with spaces around it, the shell will substitute all the names in the current directory for it. Apparently, when you included the letter after the asterisk and space, the shell interpreted the letter as a path name for the directory listing to print. I hope this info helps. George Newell IA80001@MAINE.BITNET
uri@arnor.UUCP (Uri Blumenthal) (07/21/89)
From article <1643IA80001@MAINE>, by IA80001@MAINE.BITNET (George Newell): > When you put the asterisk (*) on a line with spaces around it, the shell will > substitute all the names in the current directory for it. Apparently, when you > included the letter after the asterisk and space, the shell interpreted the > letter as a path name for the directory listing to print. I hope this info > helps. > > Disagree. Shell tries to substitute _special_ symbols. Means - when it sees "normal" letter - it will echo it, simply. So the output of echo * x will be: <current directory list> x That's it. ----------------------- <Standard Disclaimer>