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rasat

Forum Fellow

From: Finland, working in Romania

Registered: 2002-12-27

Posts: 2,293

Website

Strange bash behavior

This is run in two different machines. In machine 1 cat cannot read variables but does in machine 2.

[root@localhost ~]$ echo "This is a test" >test.tmp
[root@localhost ~]$ TEST=$(cat test.tmp)
[root@localhost ~]$ cat $TEST
cat: This: No such file or directory
cat: is: No such file or directory
cat: a: No such file or directory
cat: test: No such file or directory
[root@localhost ~]$

[root@zeus /tmp] $ echo "This is a test" >test.tmp
[root@zeus /tmp] $ TEST=$(cat test.tmp)
[root@zeus /tmp] $ echo $TEST
This is a test
[root@zeus /tmp] $

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Markku

poetofnumbers

Member

From: Kansas, United States

Registered: 2004-10-30

Posts: 106

Website

Re: Strange bash behavior

I don't understand why this is strange.  Here is what I get:

# echo "This is a test" >test.tmp
# TEST=$(cat test.tmp)
# cat $TEST
cat: This: No such file or directory
cat: is: No such file or directory
cat: a: No such file or directory
cat: test: No such file or directory
# echo $TEST
This is a test
# set
...
TEST='This is a test'
...

From what I know $() takes precedence over =

Drew
Knowledge Brings Fear

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Sweet, now I can play with myself.

cactus

Taco Eater

From: t͈̫̹ͨa͖͕͎̱͈ͨ͆ć̥̖̝o̫̫̼s͈̭̱̞͍̃!̰

Registered: 2004-05-25

Posts: 4,622

Website

Re: Strange bash behavior

exactly.
in one you are trying to cat the filename held in the TEST variable.
Since TEST="This is a test", you are trying to cat "this is a test"...
so cat tries to find each of the files

on the second one, you are just echoing the contents of the TEST variable.
seems fine to me.

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rasat

Forum Fellow

From: Finland, working in Romania

Registered: 2002-12-27

Posts: 2,293

Website

Re: Strange bash behavior

on the second one, you are just echoing the contents of the TEST variable.
seems fine to me.

When I received the machine 2's reply, after corresponing about cat, I took for granted machine 2 used cat $TEST not echo $TEST.

Thanks, problem solved.

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Markku