this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
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Programming

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[–] [email protected] 60 points 1 year ago (5 children)
[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

This is the best way. It's also the way the Shellcheck ~~wants~~ sometimes recommends.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@bloopernova As you mention it, here the links for anyone interested: Online tool https://www.shellcheck.net/ and you can install it locally too https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck .

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

While this looks like a handy tool, it does make me think shell scripting itself needs a cleaner approach than what we have currently.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Oh! I didn't know that (um, obviously lol)

I'll edit my comment.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

This is the way

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I also do this so the variables are more easily spotted.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

This is the right way

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This has never stuck with me, and I hadn't thought about why until now. I have two reasons why I will always write ${x}_$y.z instead of ${x}_${y}.z:

  • Syntax highlighting and shellcheck have always caught the cases I need to add braces to prevent $x_ being expanded as ${x_}.
  • I write a lot of Zsh. In Zsh, braces are optional in way more cases. "$#array[3]" actually prints the length of the third item in array, rather than (Bash:) the number of positional parameters, then the string 'array[3]'.
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

@gamma I just use them out of consistency and principle, so I don't need to think in which case it is required or not.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I will always write ${x}_$y.z instead of ${x}_${y}.z:

The difference between the two seems different to what's in the OP. Is there a typo here?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

in the OP

My reply is to a commenter who said they prefer "${HOME}/docs" over both options in the original image ("$HOME/docs" or "$HOME"/docs). Many people prefer to always include braces around the parameter name out of consistency, instead of only when they are required.

My comment explained why my habit is to only include braces when they are necessary.