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From: mcgrew@ichthous.Eng.Sun.COM (Darin McGrew)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell
Subject: Re: protecting whitespace from the Bourne "for" command
Message-ID: <4198@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 8 Dec 90 02:23:17 GMT
References: <16570@cgl.ucsf.EDU>
Sender: news@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
Lines: 39

In article <16570@cgl.ucsf.EDU> rodgers@maxwell.mmwb.ucsf.edu (ROOT) writes:
>Does anyone know how to protect whitespace in items to be passed to the
>"for" operator of the Bourne shell?  Consider the script:

Use `eval` so that the quotes are evaluated as such.  Here's the
revised script--

	#! /bin/sh
	#
	# Define list
	#
	list="'a b' c"
	#
	# Use list
	#
	eval	for item in "$list" \; \
		do \
			grep \"\$item\" inputfile \; \
		done
	#
	# Script complete

Yes, getting the quoting right can be difficult if the body of
the loop is large.  Another option might be to have a small loop
that feeds a `while read foo` loop--

	eval	for item in $list \; \
		do \
			echo \"\$item\" \; \
		done |
	while read item
	do
		grep "$item" inputfile
		# More big, hairy, loop that would be too
		# confusing with '\' characters everywhere
	done

Darin McGrew			mcgrew@Eng.Sun.COM
Affiliation stated for identification purposes only.