wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let
2023-04-14 23:44:41 +12:00

399 lines
30 KiB
Plaintext

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en" dir="ltr" class="no-js">
<head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=TPXmWR5s" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
__wm.init("http://web.archive.org/web");
__wm.wombat("https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=edit","20220615023106","http://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/",
"1655260266");
</script>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=qtvMKcIJ" />
<!-- End Wayback Rewrite JS Include -->
<meta charset="UTF-8"/>
<title>The let builtin command [Bash Hackers Wiki]</title>
<script>(function(H){H.className=H.className.replace(/\bno-js\b/,'js')})(document.documentElement)</script>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1"/>
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="/web/20220615023106im_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/images/favicon.ico"/>
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/web/20220615023106im_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/images/apple-touch-icon.png"/>
<meta name="generator" content="DokuWiki"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow"/>
<link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20220615023106cs_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/assets/bootstrap/default/bootstrap.min.css"/>
<link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/exe/opensearch.php" title="Bash Hackers Wiki"/>
<link rel="start" href="/"/>
<link rel="contents" href="/commands/builtin/let?do=index" title="Sitemap"/>
<link rel="manifest" href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/exe/manifest.php"/>
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Recent Changes" href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/feed.php"/>
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Current namespace" href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/feed.php?mode=list&amp;ns=commands:builtin"/>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Plain HTML" href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/_export/xhtml/commands/builtin/let"/>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/plain" title="Wiki Markup" href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/_export/raw/commands/builtin/let"/>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/web/20220615023106cs_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/exe/css.php?t=bootstrap3&amp;tseed=54923c3deda180f2db5bd755cd8fbf1a"/>
<!--[if gte IE 9]><!-->
<script type="text/javascript">/*<![CDATA[*/var NS='commands:builtin';var JSINFO = {"updatable":1,"userreplace":1,"default_macro_string":"","plugins":{"edittable":{"default columnwidth":""}},"move_renameokay":false,"isadmin":0,"isauth":0,"bootstrap3":{"mode":"source","toc":[],"config":{"collapsibleSections":0,"fixedTopNavbar":1,"showSemanticPopup":0,"sidebarOnNavbar":0,"tagsOnTop":1,"tocAffix":1,"tocCollapseOnScroll":1,"tocCollapsed":0,"tocLayout":"default","useAnchorJS":1,"useAlternativeToolbarIcons":1}},"id":"commands:builtin:let","namespace":"commands:builtin","ACT":"source","useHeadingNavigation":1,"useHeadingContent":1};
/*!]]>*/</script>
<script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="/web/20220615023106js_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/exe/jquery.php?tseed=23f888679b4f1dc26eef34902aca964f"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="/web/20220615023106js_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/exe/js.php?t=bootstrap3&amp;tseed=54923c3deda180f2db5bd755cd8fbf1a"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">/*<![CDATA[*/if (typeof IconifyConfig == 'undefined') { var IconifyConfig = { 'defaultAPI' : '/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/iconify.php?prefix={prefix}&icons={icons}' } }
/*!]]>*/</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20220615023106js_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/assets/bootstrap/js/bootstrap.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20220615023106js_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/assets/anchorjs/anchor.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20220615023106js_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/assets/typeahead/bootstrap3-typeahead.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20220615023106js_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/assets/iconify/iconify.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20220615023106js_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/assets/iconify/plugins/fa.js"></script>
<!--<![endif]-->
<style type="text/css">@media screen { body { margin-top: 65px; } #dw__toc.affix { top: 55px; position: fixed !important; } #dw__toc .nav .nav .nav { display: none; } }</style>
<!--[if lt IE 9]>
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://oss.maxcdn.com/html5shiv/3.7.2/html5shiv.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://oss.maxcdn.com/respond/1.4.2/respond.min.js"></script>
<![endif]-->
</head>
<body class="default dokuwiki mode_source tpl_bootstrap3 dw-page-on-panel dw-fluid-container" data-page-id="commands:builtin:let"><div class="dokuwiki">
<header id="dokuwiki__header" class="dw-container dokuwiki container-fluid mx-5">
<!-- navbar -->
<nav id="dw__navbar" class="navbar navbar-fixed-top navbar-default" role="navigation">
<div class="dw-container container-fluid mx-5">
<div class="navbar-header">
<button class="navbar-toggle" type="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-target=".navbar-collapse">
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
</button>
<a class="navbar-brand d-flex align-items-center" href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/start" accesskey="h" title="Bash Hackers Wiki"><img id="dw__logo" class="pull-left h-100 mr-4" alt="Bash Hackers Wiki" src="/web/20220615023106im_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/images/logo.png"/><div class="pull-right"><div id="dw__title">Bash Hackers Wiki</div></div></a>
</div>
<div class="collapse navbar-collapse">
<div class="navbar-right" id="dw__navbar_items">
<!-- navbar-searchform -->
<form action="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let" accept-charset="utf-8" class="navbar-form navbar-left search" id="dw__search" method="get" role="search">
<div class="input-group">
<input id="qsearch" autocomplete="off" type="search" placeholder="Search" value="" accesskey="f" name="q" class="form-control" title="[F]"/>
<div class="input-group-btn">
<button class="btn btn-default" type="submit" title="Search">
<span class="iconify" data-icon="mdi:magnify"></span> </button>
</div>
</div>
<input type="hidden" name="do" value="search"/>
</form>
<!-- /navbar-searchform -->
<!-- tools-menu -->
<ul class="nav navbar-nav dw-action-icon" id="dw__tools">
<li class="dropdown">
<a href="" class="dropdown-toggle" data-target="#" data-toggle="dropdown" title="" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">
<span class="iconify" data-icon="mdi:wrench"></span> <span class="hidden-lg hidden-md hidden-sm">Tools</span> <span class="caret"></span>
</a>
<ul class="dropdown-menu tools" role="menu">
<li class="dropdown-header">
<span class="iconify" data-icon="mdi:account"></span> User Tools </li>
<li class="action"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=register" title="Register" rel="nofollow" class="menuitem register"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M15 14c-2.67 0-8 1.33-8 4v2h16v-2c0-2.67-5.33-4-8-4m-9-4V7H4v3H1v2h3v3h2v-3h3v-2m6 2a4 4 0 0 0 4-4 4 4 0 0 0-4-4 4 4 0 0 0-4 4 4 4 0 0 0 4 4z"/></svg><span>Register</span></a></li><li class="action"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=login&amp;sectok=" title="Log In" rel="nofollow" class="menuitem login"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M10 17.25V14H3v-4h7V6.75L15.25 12 10 17.25M8 2h9a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v16a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4h2v4h9V4H8v4H6V4a2 2 0 0 1 2-2z"/></svg><span>Log In</span></a></li>
<li class="divider" role="separator"></li>
<li class="dropdown-header">
<span class="iconify" data-icon="mdi:toolbox"></span> Site Tools </li>
<li class="action"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=recent" title="Recent Changes [r]" rel="nofollow" accesskey="r" class="menuitem recent"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M15 13h1.5v2.82l2.44 1.41-.75 1.3L15 16.69V13m4-5H5v11h4.67c-.43-.91-.67-1.93-.67-3a7 7 0 0 1 7-7c1.07 0 2.09.24 3 .67V8M5 21a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V5c0-1.11.89-2 2-2h1V1h2v2h8V1h2v2h1a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v6.1c1.24 1.26 2 2.99 2 4.9a7 7 0 0 1-7 7c-1.91 0-3.64-.76-4.9-2H5m11-9.85A4.85 4.85 0 0 0 11.15 16c0 2.68 2.17 4.85 4.85 4.85A4.85 4.85 0 0 0 20.85 16c0-2.68-2.17-4.85-4.85-4.85z"/></svg><span>Recent Changes</span></a></li><li class="action"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=media&amp;ns=commands%3Abuiltin" title="Media Manager" rel="nofollow" class="menuitem media"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M7 15l4.5-6 3.5 4.5 2.5-3L21 15m1-11h-8l-2-2H6a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v12a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h16a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V6a2 2 0 0 0-2-2M2 6H0v14a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h18v-2H2V6z"/></svg><span>Media Manager</span></a></li><li class="action"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=index" title="Sitemap [x]" rel="nofollow" accesskey="x" class="menuitem index"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M3 3h6v4H3V3m12 7h6v4h-6v-4m0 7h6v4h-6v-4m-2-4H7v5h6v2H5V9h2v2h6v2z"/></svg><span>Sitemap</span></a></li>
<li class="divider" role="separator"></li>
<li class="dropdown-header">
<span class="iconify" data-icon="mdi:file-document-outline"></span> Page Tools </li>
<li class="action"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=" title="Show page [v]" rel="nofollow" accesskey="v" class="menuitem show"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M13 9h5.5L13 3.5V9M6 2h8l6 6v12a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H6a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V4c0-1.11.89-2 2-2m9 16v-2H6v2h9m3-4v-2H6v2h12z"/></svg><span>Show page</span></a></li><li class="action"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=revisions" title="Old revisions [o]" rel="nofollow" accesskey="o" class="menuitem revs"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M11 7v5.11l4.71 2.79.79-1.28-4-2.37V7m0-5C8.97 2 5.91 3.92 4.27 6.77L2 4.5V11h6.5L5.75 8.25C6.96 5.73 9.5 4 12.5 4a7.5 7.5 0 0 1 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 0 0 1-7.5 7.5c-3.27 0-6.03-2.09-7.06-5h-2.1c1.1 4.03 4.77 7 9.16 7 5.24 0 9.5-4.25 9.5-9.5A9.5 9.5 0 0 0 12.5 2z"/></svg><span>Old revisions</span></a></li><li class="action"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=backlink" title="Backlinks" rel="nofollow" class="menuitem backlink"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M10.59 13.41c.41.39.41 1.03 0 1.42-.39.39-1.03.39-1.42 0a5.003 5.003 0 0 1 0-7.07l3.54-3.54a5.003 5.003 0 0 1 7.07 0 5.003 5.003 0 0 1 0 7.07l-1.49 1.49c.01-.82-.12-1.64-.4-2.42l.47-.48a2.982 2.982 0 0 0 0-4.24 2.982 2.982 0 0 0-4.24 0l-3.53 3.53a2.982 2.982 0 0 0 0 4.24m2.82-4.24c.39-.39 1.03-.39 1.42 0a5.003 5.003 0 0 1 0 7.07l-3.54 3.54a5.003 5.003 0 0 1-7.07 0 5.003 5.003 0 0 1 0-7.07l1.49-1.49c-.01.82.12 1.64.4 2.43l-.47.47a2.982 2.982 0 0 0 0 4.24 2.982 2.982 0 0 0 4.24 0l3.53-3.53a2.982 2.982 0 0 0 0-4.24.973.973 0 0 1 0-1.42z"/></svg><span>Backlinks</span></a></li><li class="action"><a href="#dokuwiki__top" title="Back to top [t]" rel="nofollow" accesskey="t" class="menuitem top"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M13 20h-2V8l-5.5 5.5-1.42-1.42L12 4.16l7.92 7.92-1.42 1.42L13 8v12z"/></svg><span>Back to top</span></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<!-- /tools-menu -->
<ul class="nav navbar-nav">
<li>
<span class="dw__actions dw-action-icon">
<a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=register" title="Register" rel="nofollow" class="menuitem register btn btn-success navbar-btn"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M15 14c-2.67 0-8 1.33-8 4v2h16v-2c0-2.67-5.33-4-8-4m-9-4V7H4v3H1v2h3v3h2v-3h3v-2m6 2a4 4 0 0 0 4-4 4 4 0 0 0-4-4 4 4 0 0 0-4 4 4 4 0 0 0 4 4z"/></svg><span class=""> Register</span></a><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=login&amp;sectok=" title="Log In" rel="nofollow" class="menuitem login btn btn-default navbar-btn"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M10 17.25V14H3v-4h7V6.75L15.25 12 10 17.25M8 2h9a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v16a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4h2v4h9V4H8v4H6V4a2 2 0 0 1 2-2z"/></svg><span class=""> Log In</span></a> </span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</nav>
<!-- navbar -->
<div align="center">
<script async src="//web.archive.org/web/20220615023106js_/https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- BHORG_BOTTOM -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4658830517838678" data-ad-slot="1603598940"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>
</div>
</header>
<a name="dokuwiki__top" id="dokuwiki__top"></a>
<main role="main" class="dw-container pb-5 dokuwiki container-fluid mx-5">
<div id="dokuwiki__pageheader">
<!-- breadcrumbs -->
<nav id="dw__breadcrumbs" class="small">
<hr/>
<div class="dw__youarehere">
<ol class="breadcrumb" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/BreadcrumbList"><li>You are here</li><li itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ListItem"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/start" itemprop="item" title="start"><span itemprop="name"><span class="iconify" data-icon="mdi:home"></span></span></a></li><li itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ListItem"><a itemprop="item" href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/start" class="wikilink1" title="commands:start">Commands</a></li><li itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ListItem"><a itemprop="item" href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/start" class="wikilink1" title="commands:builtin:start">Builtin Commands</a></li><li class="active" itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ListItem"><span itemprop="name"><a itemprop="item" href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let" class="wikilink1" title="commands:builtin:let">The let builtin command</a></span></li></ol> </div>
<div class="dw__breadcrumbs hidden-print">
<ol class="breadcrumb"><li>Trace</li><li><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/echo" title="commands:builtin:echo">The echo builtin command</a></li><li class="active"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/syntax/arith_expr" title="syntax:arith_expr">Arithmetic expressions</a></li></ol> </div>
<hr/>
</nav>
<!-- /breadcrumbs -->
<p class="text-right">
<span class="pageId ml-1 label label-primary">commands:builtin:let</span> </p>
<div id="dw__msgarea" class="small">
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<article id="dokuwiki__content" class="col-sm-12 col-md-12 " itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Article" itemref="dw__license">
<!-- page-tools -->
<nav id="dw__pagetools" class="hidden-print">
<div class="tools panel panel-default">
<ul class="nav nav-stacked nav-pills text-muted">
<li class="action"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=" title="Show page [v]" rel="nofollow" accesskey="v" class="menuitem show"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M13 9h5.5L13 3.5V9M6 2h8l6 6v12a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H6a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V4c0-1.11.89-2 2-2m9 16v-2H6v2h9m3-4v-2H6v2h12z"/></svg><span>Show page</span></a></li><li class="action"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=revisions" title="Old revisions [o]" rel="nofollow" accesskey="o" class="menuitem revs"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M11 7v5.11l4.71 2.79.79-1.28-4-2.37V7m0-5C8.97 2 5.91 3.92 4.27 6.77L2 4.5V11h6.5L5.75 8.25C6.96 5.73 9.5 4 12.5 4a7.5 7.5 0 0 1 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 0 0 1-7.5 7.5c-3.27 0-6.03-2.09-7.06-5h-2.1c1.1 4.03 4.77 7 9.16 7 5.24 0 9.5-4.25 9.5-9.5A9.5 9.5 0 0 0 12.5 2z"/></svg><span>Old revisions</span></a></li><li class="action"><a href="/web/20220615023106/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/commands/builtin/let?do=backlink" title="Backlinks" rel="nofollow" class="menuitem backlink"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M10.59 13.41c.41.39.41 1.03 0 1.42-.39.39-1.03.39-1.42 0a5.003 5.003 0 0 1 0-7.07l3.54-3.54a5.003 5.003 0 0 1 7.07 0 5.003 5.003 0 0 1 0 7.07l-1.49 1.49c.01-.82-.12-1.64-.4-2.42l.47-.48a2.982 2.982 0 0 0 0-4.24 2.982 2.982 0 0 0-4.24 0l-3.53 3.53a2.982 2.982 0 0 0 0 4.24m2.82-4.24c.39-.39 1.03-.39 1.42 0a5.003 5.003 0 0 1 0 7.07l-3.54 3.54a5.003 5.003 0 0 1-7.07 0 5.003 5.003 0 0 1 0-7.07l1.49-1.49c-.01.82.12 1.64.4 2.43l-.47.47a2.982 2.982 0 0 0 0 4.24 2.982 2.982 0 0 0 4.24 0l3.53-3.53a2.982 2.982 0 0 0 0-4.24.973.973 0 0 1 0-1.42z"/></svg><span>Backlinks</span></a></li><li class="action"><a href="#dokuwiki__top" title="Back to top [t]" rel="nofollow" accesskey="t" class="menuitem top"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M13 20h-2V8l-5.5 5.5-1.42-1.42L12 4.16l7.92 7.92-1.42 1.42L13 8v12z"/></svg><span>Back to top</span></a></li> </ul>
</div>
</nav>
<!-- /page-tools -->
<div class="panel panel-default px-3 py-2" itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="page panel-body">
<div class="dw-content-page "><!-- content --><div class="dw-content"><p>
This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong.
</p>
<div class="editBox" role="application">
<div class="toolbar group">
<div id="draft__status" class="draft__status"></div>
<div id="tool__bar" class="tool__bar"></div>
</div>
<form id="dw__editform" method="post" action="" accept-charset="utf-8" class=" form-inline"><div class="no">
<input type="hidden" name="sectok" value=""/><input type="hidden" name="id" value="commands:builtin:let"/><input type="hidden" name="rev" value="0"/><input type="hidden" name="date" value="0"/><input type="hidden" name="prefix" value="."/><input type="hidden" name="suffix" value=""/><input type="hidden" name="changecheck" value="047c235fc624e5edac6e87829449e688"/><input type="hidden" name="target" value="section"/><textarea name="wikitext" id="wiki__text" dir="auto" class="edit form-control" cols="80" rows="10" tabindex="1" readonly="readonly">
====== The let builtin command ======
===== Synopsis =====
&lt;code&gt;
let arg [arg ...]
&lt;/code&gt;
===== Description =====
The ''let'' builtin command evaluates each supplied word from left to right as an [[syntax:arith_expr | arithmetic expression]] and returns an exit code according to the truth value of the rightmost expression.
* 0 (TRUE) when ''arg'' evaluated to not 0 (arithmetic &quot;true&quot;)
* 1 (FALSE) when ''arg'' evaluated to 0 (arithmetic &quot;false&quot;)
For this return code mapping, please see [[syntax:arith_expr#arithmetic_expressions_and_return_codes | this section]]. They work in the same way as ''&lt;nowiki&gt;((&lt;/nowiki&gt;''.
===== Examples =====
''let'' is very similar to [[syntax:ccmd:arithmetic_eval | ((]] - the only difference being ''let'' is a builtin (simple command), and ''&lt;nowiki&gt;((&lt;/nowiki&gt;'' is a compound command. The arguments to ''let'' are therefore subject to all the same expansions and substitutions as any other simple command - requiring proper quoting and escaping - whereas the contents of ''&lt;nowiki&gt;((&lt;/nowiki&gt;'' aren't subject to [[syntax:expansion:wordsplit | word-splitting]] or [[syntax:expansion:globs | pathname expansion]] (almost never desirable for arithmetic). For this reason, **the [[syntax:ccmd:arithmetic_eval | arithmetic compound command]] should generally be preferred over ''let''**.
&lt;code&gt;
$ let 'b = a' &quot;(a += 3) + $((a = 1)), b++&quot;
$ echo &quot;$a - $b - $?&quot;
4 - 2 - 0
&lt;/code&gt;
Is equivalent to the [[syntax:ccmd:arithmetic_eval | arithmetic evaluation compound command]]:
&lt;code&gt;
$ (( b = a, (a += 3) + $((a = 1)), b++ ))
$ echo &quot;$a - $b - $?&quot;
4 - 2 - 0
&lt;/code&gt;
&lt;WRAP info&gt;
Remember that inside arithmetic evaluation contexts, all other expansions are processed as usual (from left-to-right), and the resulting text is evaluated as an arithmetic expression. Arithmetic already has a way to control precedence using parentheses, so it's very rare to need to nest arithmetic expansions within one another. It's used above only to illustrate how this precedence works.
&lt;/WRAP&gt;
Unlike ''&lt;nowiki&gt;((&lt;/nowiki&gt;'', being a simple command ''let'' has its own environment. In Bash, built-ins that can set variables process any arithmetic under their own environment, which makes the variable effectively &quot;local&quot; to the builtin unless the variable is also set or modified by the builtin. This differs in other shells, such as ksh93, where environment assignments to regular builtins are always local even if the variable is modified by the builtin.
&lt;code&gt;
~ $ ( y=1+1 let x=y; declare -p x y )
declare -- x=&quot;2&quot;
bash: declare: y: not found
~ $ ( y=1+1 let x=y++; declare -p x y )
declare -- x=&quot;2&quot;
declare -- y=&quot;3&quot;
&lt;/code&gt;
This can be useful in certain situations where a temporary variable is needed.
===== Portability considerations =====
* the ''let'' command is not specified by POSIX(r). The portable alternative is: &lt;code&gt;[ &quot;$(( &lt;EXPRESSION&gt; ))&quot; -ne 0 ]&lt;/code&gt;. To make portable scripts simpler and cleaner, ''let'' can be defined as: &lt;code&gt;
# POSIX
let() {
IFS=, command eval test '$(($*))' -ne 0
}
&lt;/code&gt; Aside from differences in supported arithmetic features, this should be identical to the Bash/Ksh ''let''.
* It seems to be a common misunderstanding that ''let'' has some legacy purpose. Both ''let'' and [[syntax/ccmd/arithmetic_eval | ((...))]] were ksh88 features and almost identical in terms of portability as everything that inherited one also tended to get the other. Don't choose ''let'' over ''(('' expecting it to work in more places.
* [[http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/expr.html#tag_20_42 | expr(1)]] is a command one is likely to come across sooner or later. While it is more &quot;standard&quot; than ''let'', the above should always be preferred. Both [[syntax:arith_expr | arithmetic expansion]]s and the ''['' test operator are specified by POSIX(r) and satisfy almost all of expr's use-cases. Unlike ''let'', ''expr'' cannot assign directly to bash variables but instead returns a result on stdout. ''expr'' takes each operator it recognizes as a separate word and then concatenates them into a single expression that's evaluated according to it's own rules (which differ from shell arithmetic). ''let'' parses each word it recieves on its own and evaluates it as an expression without generating any output other than a return code.
* For unknown reasons, ''let'' is one of the Bash commands with special parsing for arguments formatted like compound array assignments. See: [[commands/builtin/eval#portability_considerations | eval]] for details. There are no known practical uses for this. Parentheses are treated as grouping operators and compound assignment is not possible by arithmetic expressions.
===== See also =====
* Internal: [[syntax:expansion:arith | arithmetic expansion]]
* Internal: [[syntax:arith_expr | arithmetic expressions]]
* Internal: [[syntax:ccmd:arithmetic_eval | arithmetic evaluation compound command]]</textarea>
<div id="wiki__editbar" class="editBar">
<div id="size__ctl">
</div>
</div>
</div></form>
</div>
</div><!-- /content --></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="small text-right">
<span class="docInfo">
<ul class="list-inline"><li><span class="iconify text-muted" data-icon="mdi:file-document-outline"></span> <span title="commands/builtin/let.txt">commands/builtin/let.txt</span></li><li><span class="iconify text-muted" data-icon="mdi:calendar"></span> Last modified: <span title="2015/11/16 04:19">2015/11/16 04:19</span></li><li class="text-muted">by <bdi>thebonsai</bdi></li></ul> </span>
</div>
</article>
</div>
</main>
<footer id="dw__footer" class="dw-container py-5 dokuwiki container-fluid">
<hr/>
<div align="center">
<h3><a target="_blank" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20220615023106/http://www.performing-databases.com/">This site is supported by Performing Databases - your experts for database administration</a></h3>
</div>
<hr/>
<div align="center">
<script async src="//web.archive.org/web/20220615023106js_/https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- BHORG_BOTTOM -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4658830517838678" data-ad-slot="1603598940"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>
</div>
<!-- footer -->
<div class="dw-container small container-fluid mx-5">
<div class="footer-dw-title">
<div class="media">
<div class="media-left">
<img src="/web/20220615023106im_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/images/logo.png" alt="Bash Hackers Wiki" class="media-object" style="height:32px"/>
</div>
<div class="media-body">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm-2">
<h4 class="media-heading">Bash Hackers Wiki</h4>
<p>
</p>
</div>
<div class="col-sm-10">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="footer-license row">
<hr/>
<div id="dw__license" class="col-sm-6">
<p>
<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20220615023106/http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl-1.3.html" title="GNU Free Documentation License 1.3" target="" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemprop="license" rel="license" class="license"><img src="/web/20220615023106im_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/tpl/bootstrap3/images/license/gnufdl.png" width="24" height="24" alt="gnufdl"/> </a> </p>
<p class="small">
Except where otherwise noted, content on this wiki is licensed under the following license:<br/><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20220615023106/http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl-1.3.html" title="GNU Free Documentation License 1.3" target="" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemprop="license" rel="license" class="license">GNU Free Documentation License 1.3</a> </p>
</div>
<div class="col-sm-6">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!-- /footer -->
</footer>
<a href="#dokuwiki__top" class="back-to-top hidden-print btn btn-default" title="skip to content" accesskey="t">
<span class="iconify" data-icon="mdi:chevron-up"></span> </a>
<div id="screen__mode"> <span class="visible-xs-block"></span>
<span class="visible-sm-block"></span>
<span class="visible-md-block"></span>
<span class="visible-lg-block"></span>
</div>
<img src="/web/20220615023106im_/https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/lib/exe/indexer.php?id=commands%3Abuiltin%3Alet&amp;1655260268" width="2" height="1" alt=""/>
</div>
</body>
</html>
<!--
FILE ARCHIVED ON 02:31:06 Jun 15, 2022 AND RETRIEVED FROM THE
INTERNET ARCHIVE ON 11:37:28 Apr 14, 2023.
JAVASCRIPT APPENDED BY WAYBACK MACHINE, COPYRIGHT INTERNET ARCHIVE.
ALL OTHER CONTENT MAY ALSO BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT (17 U.S.C.
SECTION 108(a)(3)).
-->
<!--
playback timings (ms):
captures_list: 71.384
exclusion.robots: 0.12
exclusion.robots.policy: 0.109
cdx.remote: 0.053
esindex: 0.008
LoadShardBlock: 45.365 (3)
PetaboxLoader3.datanode: 45.903 (4)
load_resource: 102.797
PetaboxLoader3.resolve: 58.916
-->