check variable content size in sh script

[Teske, Devin]

On May 18, 2013, at 9:06 AM, Polytropon wrote:

> On Sat, 18 May 2013 11:58:30 -0400, Quartz wrote:
>> 
>>>> newfoo=${foo:0:51}
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> That works for bash, not sh.
>> 
>> Ok granted, but I don't think that ${#foo} is straight sh either, so I 
>> assumed "things bash/tcsh/ksh/whatever accept when running in sh 
>> emulation" were ok.
> 
> By default, there is no bash on FreeBSD, and therefor no emulation
> and "implicit features". :-)
> 
> At least FreeBSD's implementation of sh (which is ash, I think)

dash actually -- the Debian Almquist shell (descendent of NetBSD's ash).
-- 
Devin



> supports the # functionality. From "man sh":
> 
>     ${#parameter}
>             String Length.  The length in characters of the value of
>             parameter.
> 
> And:
> 
>     ${parameter#word}
>             Remove Smallest Prefix Pattern.  The word is expanded to produce
>             a pattern.  The parameter expansion then results in parameter,
>             with the smallest portion of the prefix matched by the pattern
>             deleted.
> 
> Check the chapter "Parameter Expansion" for more surprising
> things that are supported by ye olde /bin/sh. :-)
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Polytropon
> Magdeburg, Germany
> Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
> Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...
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