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From: jrw@mtune.ATT.COM (Jim Webb)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: KSH script arguments
Summary: a bit long winded
Message-ID: <768@mtune.ATT.COM>
Date: 30 Aug 90 18:05:22 GMT
References: <b4CC02oVc3Jx01@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> <13160@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Distribution: comp.unix.questions
Organization: AT&T BL Middletown/Lincroft NJ USA
Lines: 35

In article <13160@hydra.gatech.EDU>, gt0178a@prism.gatech.EDU (BURNS,JIM) writes:
> in article <b4CC02oVc3Jx01@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com>, jonc@uts.amdahl.com (Jonathan Chang) says:
> > How can I extract the last argument to a ksh script?
> 
> I'll answer your question 2 different ways.

....and then takes 60 lines to do it.  A bit long winded :-)

And in article <858@iiasa.UUCP>, wnp@iiasa.AT (wolf paul) writes:

> This works; whether it is the most elegant solution I don't know:
> 
> 	LASTARG=$(eval "echo \$$#")
> 
> Anyone know of a better way?

Almost.  You have to be careful if you have more than 9 arguments....

	$ set a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
	$ eval "echo \$$#"
	b6

b6?  yup....  it turns into echo $26, which is parsed as ${2}6.  To
get around this, one needs some more {}'s:

	$ eval echo \$\{$#\}
	z

Still, very ugly :-)  Any other takers on this one?

Later,

-- 
Jim Webb                "Out of Phase -- Get Help"               att!mtune!jrw
                  "I'm bored with this....Let's Dance!"