How can I split a Bash string as separate variables?

Question

I have an example string:

echo $ExampleString
"Hello World" var2 var3

How can I split the string to be separate variables?

Desired outcome:

echo ${ExampleStringArray[0]}
Hello World

echo ${ExampleStringArray[1]}
var2

echo ${ExampleStringArray[2]}
var3

Does the variable contain the literal double quotes around Hello World? — jesse_b
– jesse_b, Commented Jan 30, 2020 at 1:08

jesse_b · Accepted Answer · 2020-01-30 01:13:17Z

1

You can use eval to create an array:

eval ExampleStringArray=($ExampleString)

Which will create:

declare -a ExampleStringArray=([0]="Hello World" [1]="var2" [2]="var3")

Although you should be wary if the variable contains any potential commands or special characters.

answered Jan 30, 2020 at 1:13

jesse_b

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