Storing ksh input array to variable and passing to another script

Question

I have to modify an existing ksh script which looks at the command-line arguments using 'shift', and so empties $@, but now want to pass the original arguments to a second script afterwards.

In the mainline case I can do this by coping $@ to a variable and passing that to the second script, but I can't get it to work for quoted command-line arguments.

If I have a script called 'printer' like below:

#!/bin/ksh

INPUT=$@  
echo "Printing args"
until [[ $# -eq 0 ]];do
   echo $1
   shift
done

./printer2 $INPUT

and printer2 like below:

#!/bin/ksh

echo "Printing second args"
until [[ $# -eq 0 ]];do
   echo $1
   shift
done

I would like the output of

./printer first second "third forth"

to be :

Printing args
first
second
third forth
Printing second args
first
second
third forth

I've tried various combinations of quotes around variables (both in the assignment of $INPUT and when passing it to printer2) but can't figure it out. Can anyone help?

Mike · Accepted Answer · 2010-07-25 22:00:17Z

5

Ok I think I've found the solution after an awful lot of trial and error.

Assigning $INPUT like this:

set -A INPUT "$@"

and then passing it like this:

./printer2 "${INPUT[@]}"

produces the output I'm after.

The whole first script is therefore:

#!/bin/ksh

set -A INPUT "$@"  
echo "Printing args"
until [[ $# -eq 0 ]];do
   echo $1
   shift
done

./printer2 "${INPUT[@]}"

and

./printer first second "third fourth"

outputs:

Printing args
first
second
third fourth
Printing second args
first
second
third fourth

If anyone wants to explain the problem with the other things I tried, please do, as I'm still interested!

answered Jul 25, 2010 at 22:00

Mike

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2 Comments

Katerberg Over a year ago

Relevant to my interests. Thanks for the help though!

Chris Aldrich Over a year ago

See unix.stackexchange.com/questions/41357/… for the reasoning why.

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