Reading comma separated variable into other variables in shell script
 

Hi,
In shell script, I have a variable var = xyz, inn, day, night, calif ....n and I would like to read them in to var1 = xzy, var2 = inn, var3= day, var4 = night....var[n].
probably in a loop. I would like to read the variables until end of the line. Comma is the delimiter and there's no comma at the end.

For example:

var = inn, day, grocery

I would like to read it like

var1 = inn, var2 = day, var3 = grocery

Another case:
var = day, grocery, store, road, highway

I would like to read it as

var1 = day, var2 = grocery, var3 = store, var4 = road, var5 = highway

should work, I think. It uses 'tr' to replace the commans with spaces and builds that into a list :)

Or you can use simple substitution:

It should be noted that the solutions that have been posted are probably the closest solution to the original question that can be reached. The OP asked for a way to magically create a series of scalar variables with ascending numeric suffixes. This is probably impossible, however the solutions given by Snark1994 and grail create a single array variable, which should be a close enough (probably superior) approximation.
Not given in either of the solutions was a method to access individual elements of the array variable (and which some of us find non-obvious) :
--- rod.

Output:

Thanx rod ... sometimes forget what seems like the obvious part :)