Bash Script: Need to read value from array in loop

[jimmies]

I'm running a command via the ``'s and I read this into a string. This value changes every few seconds. I then have a loop that parses that string and I grab the relevant information using awk and I store it in an array.

How do I read back that array after the loop?

Ie.

count=0
declare -a LIST
`getCurrentNames.sh` | while read LINE; do

AP_LIST[$count]="$DATE $LINE "
count=$[$count+1]
done
echo "19th item is ${AP_LIST[11]}"

[mvenkatapathy]

Hi,

You can loop through the array from 0 to arraysize-1 and access the contents using $AP_LIST[index].

The arraysize can be found using ${#AP_LIST[*]}

[jimmies]

I thought a loop forked into another process though so I'd be out of scope?

[brianarb]

#!/bin/bash

# Variables modified in a while loop do not propagate to the parent because the loop's commands run in a subshell. This can make it difficult to track down bugs.

cmd="cat /etc/passwd"

last_line='NULL'
$cmd | while read line; do
last_line="${line}"
done

# This will output 'NULL'
echo "${last_line}"

# Using process substitution allows redirecting output but puts the commands in an explicit subshell rather than the implicit subshell that bash creates for the while loop.

last_line='NULL'
while read line; do
last_line="${line}"
done < <($cmd)

# This will output the last line of output from the command
echo "${last_line}"