CODEWITHSUNDEEP
linuxshellvariablesunixsyntax
Emre He
Emre He

Reputation: 507

Are there any rules for unix/linux shell variable naming?

Are there any rules for unix/linux shell variable naming?

For example, like the common rules for Java variable naming.

Upvotes: 2

Views: 2576

Answers (1)

fedorqui
fedorqui

Reputation: 289725

You have to be very careful not to use any UNIX command as a variable. It will mess the code and produce unexpected results. Also, keep in mind the reserved words (if, else, elif, do, done...) and that uppercase variables are reserved for system use.

From Rules for Naming variable name:

Variable name must begin with alphanumeric alpha character or underscore character (_), followed by one or more alphanumeric or underscore characters. Valid shell variable examples

Or as seen in The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 7:

In the shell command language, a word consisting solely of underscores, digits, and alphabetics from the portable character set. The first character of a name is not a digit.

Upvotes: 3

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