How to initialize index with string in shell programming

jayakumar · 12-07-2006, 01:42 AM

Hai All,

I have some doubts in shell programming . I want to initialize index array with string ...

Like

a[abc]="hello"
a[def]="welcome"

if i give echo {$a[abc]} it should give as hello.
One more question ..

Search a pattern using grep in a file is faster or we can use a array .. whichis faster ?

Anybody can help me please ?

Regards,
Jayakumar

unSpawn · 12-07-2006, 07:16 AM

if i give echo {$a[abc]} it should give as hello.
If you echo ${a[abc]} it will.

Search a pattern using grep in a file is faster or we can use a array .. whichis faster ?
Easy:
- have file with contents,
- time grep routine,
- time array match routine,
- compare.
I mean, you actually can find that out yourself.

jayakumar · 12-08-2006, 12:33 AM

Hai Vikas,

Thanks for your repsonse.What u have mentioned is initializing an array in index with number ..But our requirement is initializing index with string .
a[abc]="hello"
a[def]="welcome"

One more thing is how to store the array variables permanently in memory (We will be initailzing the array with the values only once ...) The array needs to be global even the script got over.We are using solaris Os.

Could you please help me out ..?

Thanks in advance.

Jayakumar

fvu · 12-08-2006, 01:09 AM

From Wikipedia article on Associative arrays:

KornShell 93 (and compliant shells: ksh93, bash, zsh, ...)

Note: The latest version of bash, 3.2, doesn't support associative arrays properly yet.

Definition:

typeset -A phonebook;
phonebook=(["Sally Smart"]="555-9999" ["John Doe"]="555-1212" ["J. Random Hacker"]="555-1337");

Dereference:

${phonebook["John Doe"]};

Freddy Vulto
http://fvue.nl/wiki/Bash