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for=__nav_2> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Commands </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../classictest/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The classic test command </span> </a> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--active md-nav__item--section md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_2_2 checked> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_2_2 id=__nav_2_2_label tabindex> <span class=md-ellipsis> Builtin </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=2 aria-labelledby=__nav_2_2_label aria-expanded=true> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_2_2> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Builtin </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../caller/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The caller builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../cd/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The cd builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../declare/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The declare builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../echo/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The echo builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--active"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle" type=checkbox id=__toc> <label class="md-nav__link md-nav__link--active" for=__toc> <span class=md-ellipsis> The eval builtin command </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <a href=./ class="md-nav__link md-nav__link--active"> <span class=md-ellipsis> The eval builtin command </span> </a> <nav class="md-nav md-nav--secondary" aria-label="Table of contents"> <label class=md-nav__title for=__toc> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Table of contents </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-component=toc data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#synopsis class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Synopsis </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#description class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Description </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#examples class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Examples </span> </a> <nav class=md-nav aria-label=Examples> <ul class=md-nav__list> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#expansion-side-effects class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Expansion side-effects </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#using-printf-q class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Using printf %q </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#higher-order-functions class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Higher-order functions </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#portability-considerations class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Portability considerations </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#see-also class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> See also </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../exec/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The exec builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../exit/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The exit builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../export/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The export builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../kill/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The kill builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../let/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The let builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../local/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The local builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../mapfile/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The mapfile builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../printf/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The printf command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../read/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The read builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../readonly/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The readonly builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../return/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The return builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../set/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The set builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../shift/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The shift builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../shopt/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The shopt builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../trap/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The trap builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../unset/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The unset builtin command </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../wait/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The wait builtin command </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_3> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_3 id=__nav_3_label tabindex=0> <span class=md-ellipsis> Dict </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=1 aria-labelledby=__nav_3_label aria-expanded=false> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_3> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Dict </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/directory/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Directory </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/end_of_options/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> End of Options </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/exit_status/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Exit Status </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/file/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> File </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/filetimes/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> File timestamp </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/globbing/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Globbing </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/hardlink/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Hardlink </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/interpreter_directive/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Interpreter Directive </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/parameter/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Parameter </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/posix/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> POSIX </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/shell/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Shell </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/special_file/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Special file </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../dict/symlink/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Symlink </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_4> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_4 id=__nav_4_label tabindex=0> <span class=md-ellipsis> Howto </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=1 aria-labelledby=__nav_4_label aria-expanded=false> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_4> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Howto </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../howto/calculate-dc/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Calculating with dc </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../howto/collapsing_functions/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Collapsing Functions </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../howto/conffile/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Config files for your script </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../howto/dissectabadoneliner/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Dissect a bad oneliner </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../howto/edit-ed/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Editing files via scripts with ed </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../howto/getopts_tutorial/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Small getopts tutorial </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../howto/mutex/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Lock your script (against parallel execution) </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../howto/pax/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> pax - the POSIX archiver </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../howto/redirection_tutorial/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Illustrated Redirection Tutorial </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../howto/testing-your-scripts/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Testing your scripts </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_5> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_5 id=__nav_5_label tabindex=0> <span class=md-ellipsis> Internals </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=1 aria-labelledby=__nav_5_label aria-expanded=false> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_5> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Internals </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../internals/shell_options/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> List of shell options </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_6> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_6 id=__nav_6_label tabindex=0> <span class=md-ellipsis> Misc </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=1 aria-labelledby=__nav_6_label aria-expanded=false> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_6> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Misc </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../misc/bashphorisms/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The Bashphorisms </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../misc/readthesourceluke/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Readthesourceluke </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../misc/shell_humor/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Shell Humor </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_7> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_7 id=__nav_7_label tabindex=0> <span class=md-ellipsis> Scripting </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=1 aria-labelledby=__nav_7_label aria-expanded=false> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_7> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Scripting </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../scripting/bashbehaviour/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Bash's behaviour </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../scripting/bashchanges/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Bash changes </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../scripting/basics/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The basics of shell scripting </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../scripting/debuggingtips/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Debugging a script </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../scripting/newbie_traps/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Beginner Mistakes </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../scripting/nonportable/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Portability talk </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../scripting/obsolete/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Obsolete and deprecated syntax </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../scripting/posparams/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Handling positional parameters </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../scripting/processtree/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Bash and the process tree </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../scripting/style/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Scripting with style </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../scripting/terminalcodes/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Terminal codes (ANSI/VT100) introduction </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_8> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_8 id=__nav_8_label tabindex=0> <span class=md-ellipsis> Snipplets </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=1 aria-labelledby=__nav_8_label aria-expanded=false> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_8> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Snipplets </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Small code snipplets </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/add_color_to_your_scripts/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Add Color to your scripts </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/awkcsv/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Using awk to deal with CSV that uses quoted/unquoted delimiters </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/filesize/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Show size of a file </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/kill_bg_job_without_message/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Kill a background job without a message </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/largestfile/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Get largest file </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/pause_command/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Pausing a script (like MSDOS pause command) </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/prargs/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Print argument list for testing </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/print_horizontal_line/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Print a horizontal line </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/rndstr/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Print a random string or select random elements </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/screen_saverestore/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Save and restore terminal/screen content </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/ssh_fetchkeys/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Fetching SSH hostkeys without interaction </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/ssh_local_var/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Run some bash commands with SSH remotely using local variables </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/wrapperargs/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Generate code with own arguments properly quoted </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../snipplets/xclip/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> X-Clipboard on Commandline </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_9> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_9 id=__nav_9_label tabindex=0> <span class=md-ellipsis> Syntax </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=1 aria-labelledby=__nav_9_label aria-expanded=false> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_9> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Syntax </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/arith_expr/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Arithmetic expressions </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/arrays/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Arrays </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/basicgrammar/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Basic grammar rules of Bash </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/pattern/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Patterns and pattern matching </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/pe/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Parameter expansion </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/quoting/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Quotes and escaping </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/redirection/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Redirection </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/shellvars/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Special parameters and shell variables </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/words/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Words... </span> </a> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_9_10> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_9_10 id=__nav_9_10_label tabindex=0> <span class=md-ellipsis> Ccmd </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=2 aria-labelledby=__nav_9_10_label aria-expanded=false> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_9_10> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Ccmd </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/arithmetic_eval/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Arithmetic evaluation (command) </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/c_for/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The C-style for-loop </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/case/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The case statement </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/classic_for/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The classic for-loop </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/conditional_expression/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The conditional expression </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/grouping_plain/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Grouping commands </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/grouping_subshell/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Grouping commands in a subshell </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/if_clause/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The if-clause </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/intro/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Bash compound commands </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/until_loop/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The until loop </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/user_select/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> User selections </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/ccmd/while_loop/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The while-loop </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_9_11> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_9_11 id=__nav_9_11_label tabindex=0> <span class=md-ellipsis> Expansion </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=2 aria-labelledby=__nav_9_11_label aria-expanded=false> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_9_11> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Expansion </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/expansion/arith/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Arithmetic expansion </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/expansion/brace/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Brace expansion </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/expansion/cmdsubst/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Command substitution </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/expansion/globs/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Pathname expansion (globbing) </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/expansion/intro/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Expansions and substitutions </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/expansion/proc_subst/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Process substitution </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/expansion/tilde/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Tilde expansion </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/expansion/wordsplit/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Word splitting </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_9_12> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_9_12 id=__nav_9_12_label tabindex=0> <span class=md-ellipsis> Grammar </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=2 aria-labelledby=__nav_9_12_label aria-expanded=false> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_9_12> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Grammar </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/grammar/parser_exec/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Parser exec </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested"> <input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type=checkbox id=__nav_9_13> <label class=md-nav__link for=__nav_9_13 id=__nav_9_13_label tabindex=0> <span class=md-ellipsis> Keywords </span> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> </label> <nav class=md-nav data-md-level=2 aria-labelledby=__nav_9_13_label aria-expanded=false> <label class=md-nav__title for=__nav_9_13> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Keywords </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../syntax/keywords/coproc/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> The coproc keyword </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=../../../tags/ class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Tags </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-sidebar md-sidebar--secondary" data-md-component=sidebar data-md-type=toc> <div class=md-sidebar__scrollwrap> <div class=md-sidebar__inner> <nav class="md-nav md-nav--secondary" aria-label="Table of contents"> <label class=md-nav__title for=__toc> <span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span> Table of contents </label> <ul class=md-nav__list data-md-component=toc data-md-scrollfix> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#synopsis class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Synopsis </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#description class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Description </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#examples class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Examples </span> </a> <nav class=md-nav aria-label=Examples> <ul class=md-nav__list> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#expansion-side-effects class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Expansion side-effects </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#using-printf-q class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Using printf %q </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#higher-order-functions class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Higher-order functions </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#portability-considerations class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> Portability considerations </span> </a> </li> <li class=md-nav__item> <a href=#see-also class=md-nav__link> <span class=md-ellipsis> See also </span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class=md-content data-md-component=content> <article class="md-content__inner md-typeset"> <a href=https://github.com/flokoe/bash-hackers-wiki/edit/main/docs/commands/builtin/eval.md title="Edit this page" class="md-content__button md-icon"> <svg xmlns=http://www.w3.org/2000/svg viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M10 20H6V4h7v5h5v3.1l2-2V8l-6-6H6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2v16c0 1.1.9 2 2 2h4zm10.2-7c.1 0 .3.1.4.2l1.3 1.3c.2.2.2.6 0 .8l-1 1-2.1-2.1 1-1c.1-.1.2-.2.4-.2m0 3.9L14.1 23H12v-2.1l6.1-6.1z"/></svg> </a> <a href=https://github.com/flokoe/bash-hackers-wiki/raw/main/docs/commands/builtin/eval.md title="View source of this page" class="md-content__button md-icon"> <svg xmlns=http://www.w3.org/2000/svg viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M17 18c.56 0 1 .44 1 1s-.44 1-1 1-1-.44-1-1 .44-1 1-1m0-3c-2.73 0-5.06 1.66-6 4 .94 2.34 3.27 4 6 4s5.06-1.66 6-4c-.94-2.34-3.27-4-6-4m0 6.5a2.5 2.5 0 0 1-2.5-2.5 2.5 2.5 0 0 1 2.5-2.5 2.5 2.5 0 0 1 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 0 0 1-2.5 2.5M9.27 20H6V4h7v5h5v4.07c.7.08 1.36.25 2 .49V8l-6-6H6a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v16a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h4.5a8.2 8.2 0 0 1-1.23-2"/></svg> </a> <h1 id=the-eval-builtin-command>The eval builtin command<a class=headerlink href=#the-eval-builtin-command title="Permanent link">¶</a></h1> <h2 id=synopsis>Synopsis<a class=headerlink href=#synopsis title="Permanent link">¶</a></h2> <div class=highlight><pre><span></span><code>eval: eval [arg ...]
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</code></pre></div> <h2 id=description>Description<a class=headerlink href=#description title="Permanent link">¶</a></h2> <p><code>eval</code> takes its arguments, concatenates them separated by spaces, and executes the resulting string as Bash code in the current execution environment. <code>eval</code> in Bash works in essentially the same way as most other languages that have an <code>eval</code> function. Perhaps the easiest way to think about <code>eval</code> is that it works in the same way as running \'\'bash -c \"bash code...\" \'\'from a script, except in the case of <code>eval</code>, the given code is executed in the current shell environment rather than a child process.</p> <h2 id=examples>Examples<a class=headerlink href=#examples title="Permanent link">¶</a></h2> <p>In this example, the literal text within the <a href=../../../syntax/redirection/#here_documents>here-document</a> is executed as Bash code exactly as though it were to appear within the script in place of the <code>eval</code> command below it.</p> <div class=highlight><pre><span></span><code>#!/usr/bin/env bash
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{ myCode=$(</dev/stdin); } <<\EOF
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... arbitrary bash code here ...
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EOF
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eval "$myCode"
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</code></pre></div> <h3 id=expansion-side-effects>Expansion side-effects<a class=headerlink href=#expansion-side-effects title="Permanent link">¶</a></h3> <p>Frequently, <code>eval</code> is used to cause side-effects by performing a pass of expansion on the code before executing the resulting string. This allows for things that otherwise wouldn't be possible with ordinary Bash syntax. This also, of course, makes <code>eval</code> the most powerful command in all of shell programming (and in most other languages for that matter).</p> <p>This code defines a set of identical functions using the supplied names. <code>eval</code> is the only way to achieve this effect.</p> <div class=highlight><pre><span></span><code>main() {
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local fun='() { echo "$FUNCNAME"; }' x
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for x in {f..n}; do
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eval "${x}${fun}"
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done
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"$@"
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}
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main "$@"
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</code></pre></div> <h3 id=using-printf-q>Using printf %q<a class=headerlink href=#using-printf-q title="Permanent link">¶</a></h3> <p>The <code>printf %q</code> format string performs shell escaping on its arguments. This makes <code>printf %q</code> the "anti-eval" - with each pass of a string through printf requiring another <code>eval</code> to peel off the escaping again.</p> <div class=highlight><pre><span></span><code>while (( ++n <= 5 )) || ! evalBall="eval $evalBall"; do
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printf -v evalBall 'eval %q' "printf $n;${evalBall-printf '0\n'}"
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done
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$evalBall
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</code></pre></div> <p>The above example is mostly fun and games but illustrates the <code>printf %q</code> property.</p> <h3 id=higher-order-functions>Higher-order functions<a class=headerlink href=#higher-order-functions title="Permanent link">¶</a></h3> <p>Since all current POSIX-compatible shells lack support for <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-class_function>first-class functions</a>, it can be tempting and sometimes useful to simulate some of their effect using <code>eval</code> to evaluate a string containing code.</p> <p>This example shows <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_application>partial application</a> using <code>eval</code>.</p> <div class=highlight><pre><span></span><code>function partial {
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eval shift 2 \; function "$1" \{ "$2" "$(printf '%q ' "${@:3}")" '"$@"; }'
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}
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function repeat {
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[[ $1 == +([0-9]) ]] || return
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typeset n
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while ((n++ < $1)); do
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"${@:2}"
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done
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}
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partial print3 repeat 3 printf '%s ' # Create a new function named print3
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print3 hi # Print "hi" 3 times
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echo
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</code></pre></div> <p>This is very easy to do incorrectly and not usually considered idiomatic of Bash if used extensively. However abstracting eval behind functions that validate their input and/or make clear which input must be controlled carefully by the caller is a good way to use it.</p> <h2 id=portability-considerations>Portability considerations<a class=headerlink href=#portability-considerations title="Permanent link">¶</a></h2> <ul> <li> <p>Unfortunately, because eval is a <strong>special builtin</strong>, it only gets its own environment in Bash, and only when Bash is not in POSIX mode. In all other shells plus Bash in POSIX mode, the environment of eval will leak out into the surrounding environment. It is possible to work around this limitation by prefixing special builtins with the <code>command</code> regular builtin, but current versions of ~~ksh93~~ and zsh don't do this properly (<a href=http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.programming.tools.ast.devel/686>fixed</a> in ksh 93v- 2012-10-24 alpha). Earlier versions of zsh work (with <code>setopt POSIX_BUILTINS</code> -- looks like a regression). This works correctly in Bash POSIX mode, Dash, and mksh.</p> </li> <li> <p><code>eval</code> is another one of the few Bash builtins with keyword-like conditional parsing of arguments that are in the form of compound assignments.</p> <p>$ ( eval a=( a b\ c d ); printf '<%s> ' "${a[@]}"; echo ) # Only works in Bash. <a> <b c> <d> $ ( x=a; eval "$x"=( a b\ c d ); printf '<%s> ' "${a[@]}"; echo ) # Argument is no longer in the form of a valid assignment, therefore ordinary parsing rules apply. -bash: syntax error near unexpected token `(' $ ( x=a; eval "$x"'=( a b\ c d )'; printf '<%s> ' "${a[@]}"; echo ) # Proper quoting then gives us the expected results. <a> <b c> <d></p> </li> </ul> <p>We don't know why Bash does this. Since parentheses are metacharacters, they must ordinary be quoted or escaped when used as arguments. The first example above is the same error as the second in all non-Bash shells, even those with compound assignment.</p> <p>In the case of <code>eval</code> it isn't recommended to use this behavior, because unlike e.g. <a href=../declare/ >declare</a>, the initial expansion is still subject to all expansions including <a href=../../../syntax/expansion/wordsplit/ >word-splitting</a> and <a href=../../../syntax/expansion/globs/ >pathname expansion</a>.</p> <div class=highlight><pre><span></span><code> $ ( set -x; touch 'x+=(\[[123]\]=*)' 'x+=([3]=yo)'; eval x+=(*); echo "${x[@]}" )
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+ touch 'x+=(\[[123]\]=*)' 'x+=([3]=yo)'
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+ eval 'x+=(\[[123]\]=*)' 'x+=([3]=yo)'
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++ x+=(\[[123]\]=*)
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++ x+=([3]=yo)
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+ echo '[[123]]=*' yo
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[[123]]=* yo
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</code></pre></div> <p>Other commands known to be affected by compound assignment arguments include: <a href=../let/ >let</a>, <a href=../declare/ >declare</a>, <code>typeset</code>, <a href=../local/ >local</a>, <a href=../export/ >export</a>, and <a href=../readonly/ >readonly</a>. More oddities below show both similarities and differences to commands like <a href=../declare/ >declare</a>. The rules for <code>eval</code> appear identical to those of <a href=../let/ >let</a>.</p> <h2 id=see-also>See also<a class=headerlink href=#see-also title="Permanent link">¶</a></h2> <ul> <li><a href=http://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashFAQ/048>BashFAQ 48 - eval and security issues</a> -- <strong>IMPORTANT</strong></li> <li><a href=http://fvue.nl/wiki/Bash:_Why_use_eval_with_variable_expansion%3F>Another eval article</a></li> <li><a href=http://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashFAQ/006#Assigning_indirect.2BAC8-reference_variables>Indirection via eval</a></li> <li><a href=http://fvue.nl/wiki/Bash:_Passing_variables_by_reference>More indirection via eval</a></li> <li><a href=https://github.com/vaeth/push>Martin Väth's "push"</a> -- <code>printf %q</code> work-alike for POSIX.</li> <li><a href=http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/aliases.html>The "magic alias" hack</a></li> </ul> <aside class=md-source-file> <span class=md-source-file__fact> <span class=md-icon title="Last update"> <svg xmlns=http://www.w3.org/2000/svg viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M21 13.1c-.1 0-.3.1-.4.2l-1 1 2.1 2.1 1-1c.2-.2.2-.6 0-.8l-1.3-1.3c-.1-.1-.2-.2-.4-.2m-1.9 1.8-6.1 6V23h2.1l6.1-6.1zM12.5 7v5.2l4 2.4-1 1L11 13V7zM11 21.9c-5.1-.5-9-4.8-9-9.9C2 6.5 6.5 2 12 2c5.3 0 9.6 4.1 10 9.3-.3-.1-.6-.2-1-.2s-.7.1-1 .2C19.6 7.2 16.2 4 12 4c-4.4 0-8 3.6-8 8 0 4.1 3.1 7.5 7.1 7.9l-.1.2z"/></svg> </span> <span class="git-revision-date-localized-plugin git-revision-date-localized-plugin-date">November 13, 2024</span> </span> <span class=md-source-file__fact> <span class=md-icon title=Created> <svg xmlns=http://www.w3.org/2000/svg viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M14.47 15.08 11 13V7h1.5v5.25l3.08 1.83c-.41.28-.79.62-1.11 1m-1.39 4.84c-.36.05-.71.08-1.08.08-4.42 0-8-3.58-8-8s3.58-8 8-8 8 3.58 8 8c0 .37-.03.72-.08 1.08.69.1 1.33.32 1.92.64.1-.56.16-1.13.16-1.72 0-5.5-4.5-10-10-10S2 6.5 2 12s4.47 10 10 10c.59 0 1.16-.06 1.72-.16-.32-.59-.54-1.23-.64-1.92M18 15v3h-3v2h3v3h2v-3h3v-2h-3v-3z"/></svg> </span> <span class="git-revision-date-localized-plugin git-revision-date-localized-plugin-date">November 13, 2024</span> </span> </aside> <h2 id=__comments>Comments</h2> <script src=https://giscus.app/client.js data-repo=flokoe/bash-hackers-wiki data-repo-id=R_kgDOJ3Nr6Q data-category="Giscus Page Comments" data-category-id=DIC_kwDOJ3Nr6c4CXq9t data-mapping=pathname data-strict=1 data-reactions-enabled=1 data-emit-metadata=0 data-input-position=top data-theme=preferred_color_scheme data-lang=en data-loading=lazy crossorigin=anonymous async>
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