How do I refer to the last element of args array
(the $* array) in bash ?

For example: set -- a b c; echo ${...} ... I want 'c' printed here.
I tried ${*[-1]}, bash refuses to read my mind.

Thanks
Yakov

Yakov wrote:
> How do I refer to the last element of args array
> (the $* array) in bash ?
>
> For example: set -- a b c; echo ${...} ... I want 'c' printed here.
> I tried ${*[-1]}, bash refuses to read my mind.
>
> Thanks
> Yakov
>

Try:
echo ${!#}

Yakov,

The variable $# tells you how many positional parameters exist in $1,
$2, $3, $4 ... $N

Under OLD shells, like the original bourne, you couls only reach $1 to
$9, and all othes
were un-touchable, until you used the "shift" command to get rid of
the first parameters,
and bring the other ones down below position ten. So people used to
write loops like:

while [ $# -gt 0 ]
do
#- process your parameters, using $1 and possibly some $2 or $3
to follow
#- set up various other info
#- perhaps store some of the params of interest
KEEP_PARAMS="$KEEP_PARAMS $1"

shift
#- this discards $1, and shifts $2 into the current $1
done

#- When you were done you could put parts of them back (if you really
wanted) with
set -- $KEEP_PARAMS
#- and the ones you liked would go back into $1, $2 ... $N

Now, several shells will allow you to access the params past $9
directly using notations like ${52}
or, if you lave a counter variable, like HERE, where HERE=52, you
could access that param with
the notation of ${!HERE} (the exclamation point says, use the value
of HERE as a pointer/reference)

That should get you what you need.

2007-10-31, 23:30(-00), Yakov:
> How do I refer to the last element of args array
> (the $* array) in bash ?
>
> For example: set -- a b c; echo ${...} ... I want 'c' printed here.
> I tried ${*[-1]}, bash refuses to read my mind.
[...]

Bash specific:

last=${!#}

(note how the above nicely conflicts with the ${var#pattern}
which is why it doesn't work in ksh93)

Bash/ksh93 specific:

last=${@: -1}

Zsh equivalents:

last=${(P)#}
last=$@[-1]

POSIXly:

eval "last=\${$#}"

Bourne:

for last do :; done

--
Stéphane

Yakov wrote:
> How do I refer to the last element of args array
> (the $* array) in bash ?

Another option...

: "$@"
last=$_


Janis

>
> For example: set -- a b c; echo ${...} ... I want 'c' printed here.
> I tried ${*[-1]}, bash refuses to read my mind.
>
> Thanks
> Yakov
>

Yakov <iler...@gmail.com> wrote:
> How do I refer to the last element of an array?

A portable, robust, and efficient method that has kept
me in good stead for many years:

eval "set X \"\$@\"; shift $#"

=Brian