2023-07-05 10:53:12 +02:00
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# The local builtin command
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## Synopsis
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local [option] name[=value] ...
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## Description
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2024-01-29 02:07:56 +01:00
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`local` is identical to [declare](../../commands/builtin/declare.md) in every
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way, and takes all the same options, with 3 exceptions:
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- Usage outside of a function is an error. Both `declare` and `local`
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within a function have the same effect on variable scope, including
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the -g option.
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- `local` with no options prints variable names and values in the same
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format as `declare` with no options, except the variables are
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filtered to print only locals that were set in the same scope from
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which `local` was called. Variables in parent scopes are not
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printed.
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- If name is '-', the set of shell options is made local to the
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function in which local is invoked: shell options changed using the
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set builtin inside the function are restored to their original
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values when the function returns. The restore is effected as if a
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series of set commands were executed to restore the values that were
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in place before the function.
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## Portability considerations
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2024-03-30 20:09:26 +01:00
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- `local` is not specified by POSIX. Most bourne-like shells don't
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have a builtin called `local`, but some such as `dash` and the
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busybox shell do.
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- The behavior of function scope is not defined by POSIX, however
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local variables are implemented widely by bourne-like shells, and
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behavior differs substantially. Even the`dash` shell has local
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variables.
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2024-03-30 20:09:26 +01:00
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- In ksh93, using POSIX-style function definitions, `typeset` doesn't
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set `local` variables, but rather acts upon variables of the
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next-outermost scope (e.g. setting attributes). Using `typeset`
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within functions defined using ksh `function name {` syntax,
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variables follow roughly
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[lexical-scoping](http://community.schemewiki.org/?lexical-scope),
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except that functions themselves don't have scope, just like Bash.
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2024-10-08 06:00:17 +02:00
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This means that even functions defined within a "function's
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scope" don't have access to non-local variables except through
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`namerefs`.
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## See also
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2024-04-02 23:36:57 +02:00
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- [The basics of shell scripting: Variable scope](../../scripting/basics.md#variable-scope)
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