How do I set a variable to the output of a command in Bash?

Question

How do I set a variable to the output of a command in Bash?

Question

I have a pretty simple script that is something like the following:

#!/bin/bash

VAR1="$1"
MOREF='sudo run command against $VAR1 | grep name | cut -c7-'

echo $MOREF

When I run this script from the command line and pass it the arguments, I am not getting any output. However, when I run the commands contained within the $MOREF variable, I am able to get output.

How can one take the results of a command that needs to be run within a script, save it to a variable, and then output that variable on the screen?

John

2019/04/11

Read less...

The right way is

$(sudo run command)

If you're going to use an apostrophe, you need `, not '. This character is called "backticks" (or "grave accent").

Like this:

#!/bin/bash

VAR1="$1"
VAR2="$2"

MOREF=`sudo run command against "$VAR1" | grep name | cut -c7-`

echo "$MOREF"

Ilya Kogan

2019/04/11

Some Bash tricks I use to set variables from commands

3rd Edit: 2020-09-05: About {fdname}<> syntax under bash See at top of bash features section.

2nd Edit 2018-02-12: Added a different way, search at the bottom of this for long-running tasks!

2018-01-25 Edit: added a sample function (for populating variables about disk usage)

First simple, old, and compatible way

myPi=`echo '4*a(1)' | bc -l`
echo $myPi 
3.14159265358979323844

Mostly compatible, second way

As nesting could become heavy, parenthesis was implemented for this

myPi=$(bc -l <<<'4*a(1)')

Nested sample:

SysStarted=$(date -d "$(ps ho lstart 1)" +%s)
echo $SysStarted 
1480656334

bash features

There is an elegent way:

exec {list}< <(LANG=C df -k)   # open backround task file descriptor
read -u $list -a head          # stored in variable `list`
varnames=(${head[@]//[K1% -]})
while read -u $list ${varnames[@],,} ;do
((pct=available*100/(available+used),pct<10)) &&
    printf "WARN: FS: %-20s on %-14s %3d <10 (Total: %11u, Use: %7s)\n" \
        "${filesystem#*/mapper/}" "$mounted" $pct $blocks "$use"
 done
exec {list}<&-   # close backround task file descriptor

Using this way let STDIN free for other purposes, like user interaction.

This could be used with static files or even /dev/tcp/xx.xx.xx.xx/yyy with x for ip address or hostname and y for port number:

exec {list}</etc/passwd
users=()
while IFS=: read -u $list user pass uid gid name home bin ;do
    ((uid>=500)) &&
        printf -v users[uid] "%11d %7d %-20s %s\n" $uid $gid $user $home
done
exec {list}<&-
printf "%s" "${users[@]}"

And of course with inline documents:

exec {list}<<"eof"
foo;bar;baz
alice;bob;charlie
$cherry;$strawberry;$memberberries
eof
while IFS=\; read -u $list -a myvar ;do
    echo ${myvar[2]}
done
exec {list}<&-

Reading more than one variable (with Bashisms)

df -k /
Filesystem     1K-blocks   Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/dm-0         999320 529020    401488  57% /

If I just want a used value:

array=($(df -k /))

you could see an array variable:

declare -p array
declare -a array='([0]="Filesystem" [1]="1K-blocks" [2]="Used" [3]="Available" [
4]="Use%" [5]="Mounted" [6]="on" [7]="/dev/dm-0" [8]="999320" [9]="529020" [10]=
"401488" [11]="57%" [12]="/")'

Then:

echo ${array[9]}
529020

But I prefer this:

{ read foo ; read filesystem size using avail prct mountpoint ; } < <(df -k /)
echo $using
529020

The first read foo will just skip header line, but in only one command, you will populate 7 different variables:

declare -p avail filesystem foo mountpoint prct size using
declare -- avail="401488"
declare -- filesystem="/dev/dm-0"
declare -- foo="Filesystem     1K-blocks   Used Available Use% Mounted on"
declare -- mountpoint="/"
declare -- prct="57%"
declare -- size="999320"
declare -- using="529020"

Or even:

{ read foo ; read filesystem dsk[{6,2,9}] prct mountpoint ; } < <(df -k /)
declare -p mountpoint dsk
declare -- mountpoint="/"
declare -a dsk=([2]="529020" [6]="999320" [9]="401488")

... will work with associative arrays too: read foo disk[total] disk[used] ...

Sample function for populating some variables:

#!/bin/bash

declare free=0 total=0 used=0

getDiskStat() {
    local foo
    {
        read foo
        read foo total used free foo
    } < <(
        df -k ${1:-/}
    )
}

getDiskStat $1
echo $total $used $free

Nota: declare line is not required, just for readability.

About `sudo cmd | grep ... | cut ...`

shell=$(cat /etc/passwd | grep $USER | cut -d : -f 7)
echo $shell
/bin/bash

(Please avoid useless cat! So this is just one fork less:

shell=$(grep $USER </etc/passwd | cut -d : -f 7)

All pipes (|) implies forks. Where another process have to be run, accessing disk, libraries calls and so on.

So using sed for sample, will limit subprocess to only one fork:

shell=$(sed </etc/passwd "s/^$USER:.*://p;d")
echo $shell

And with Bashisms:

But for many actions, mostly on small files, Bash could do the job itself:

while IFS=: read -a line ; do
    [ "$line" = "$USER" ] && shell=${line[6]}
  done </etc/passwd
echo $shell
/bin/bash

or

while IFS=: read loginname encpass uid gid fullname home shell;do
    [ "$loginname" = "$USER" ] && break
  done </etc/passwd
echo $shell $loginname ...

Going further about variable splitting...

Have a look at my answer to How do I split a string on a delimiter in Bash?

Alternative: reducing forks by using backgrounded long-running tasks

2nd Edit 2018-02-12:

In order to prevent multiple forks like

myPi=$(bc -l <<<'4*a(1)'
myRay=12
myCirc=$(bc -l <<<" 2 * $myPi * $myRay ")

or

myStarted=$(date -d "$(ps ho lstart 1)" +%s)
mySessStart=$(date -d "$(ps ho lstart $$)" +%s)

This work fine, but running many forks is heavy and slow.

And commands like date and bc could make many operations, line by line!!

See:

bc -l <<<$'3*4\n5*6'
12
30

date -f - +%s < <(ps ho lstart 1 $$)
1516030449
1517853288

So we could use a long running background process to make many jobs, without having to initiate a new fork for each request.

We just need some file descriptors and fifos for doing this properly:

mkfifo /tmp/myFifoForBc
exec 5> >(bc -l >/tmp/myFifoForBc)
exec 6</tmp/myFifoForBc
rm /tmp/myFifoForBc

(Of course, FD 5 and 6 have to be unused!)... From there, you could use this process by:

echo "3*4" >&5
read -u 6 foo
echo $foo
12

echo >&5 "pi=4*a(1)"
echo >&5 "2*pi*12"
read -u 6 foo
echo $foo
75.39822368615503772256

Into a function `newConnector`

You may found my newConnector function on GitHub.Com or on my own site (Note on GitHub: there are two files on my site. Function and demo are bundled into one file which could be sourced for use or just run for demo.)

Sample:

. shell_connector.sh

tty
/dev/pts/20

ps --tty pts/20 fw
    PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
  29019 pts/20   Ss     0:00 bash
  30745 pts/20   R+     0:00  \_ ps --tty pts/20 fw

newConnector /usr/bin/bc "-l" '3*4' 12

ps --tty pts/20 fw
    PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
  29019 pts/20   Ss     0:00 bash
  30944 pts/20   S      0:00  \_ /usr/bin/bc -l
  30952 pts/20   R+     0:00  \_ ps --tty pts/20 fw

declare -p PI
bash: declare: PI: not found

myBc '4*a(1)' PI
declare -p PI
declare -- PI="3.14159265358979323844"

The function myBc lets you use the background task with simple syntax, and for date:

newConnector /bin/date '-f - +%s' @0 0
myDate '2000-01-01'
  946681200
myDate "$(ps ho lstart 1)" boottime
myDate now now ; read utm idl </proc/uptime
myBc "$now-$boottime" uptime
printf "%s\n" ${utm%%.*} $uptime
  42134906
  42134906

ps --tty pts/20 fw
    PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
  29019 pts/20   Ss     0:00 bash
  30944 pts/20   S      0:00  \_ /usr/bin/bc -l
  32615 pts/20   S      0:00  \_ /bin/date -f - +%s
   3162 pts/20   R+     0:00  \_ ps --tty pts/20 fw

From there, if you want to end one of background processes, you just have to close its fd:

eval "exec $DATEOUT>&-"
eval "exec $DATEIN>&-"
ps --tty pts/20 fw
    PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
   4936 pts/20   Ss     0:00 bash
   5256 pts/20   S      0:00  \_ /usr/bin/bc -l
   6358 pts/20   R+     0:00  \_ ps --tty pts/20 fw

which is not needed, because all fd close when the main process finishes.

F. Hauri

2020/09/05

As they have already indicated to you, you should use 'backticks'.

The alternative proposed $(command) works as well, and it also easier to read, but note that it is valid only with Bash or KornShell (and shells derived from those), so if your scripts have to be really portable on various Unix systems, you should prefer the old backticks notation.

bitwelder

2019/04/11

I know three ways to do it:

Functions are suitable for such tasks:**
```
func (){
    ls -l
}
```
Invoke it by saying func.
Also another suitable solution could be eval:
```
var="ls -l"
eval $var
```
The third one is using variables directly:
```
var=$(ls -l)

    OR

var=`ls -l`
```

You can get the output of the third solution in a good way:

echo "$var"

And also in a nasty way:

echo $var

MLSC

2019/11/18

Just to be different:

MOREF=$(sudo run command against $VAR1 | grep name | cut -c7-)

DigitalRoss

2011/01/10

Andy Lester · Accepted Answer · 5/8/2020 9:18:50 PM

In addition to backticks `command`, command substitution can be done with $(command) or "$(command)", which I find easier to read, and allows for nesting.

OUTPUT=$(ls -1)
echo "${OUTPUT}"

MULTILINE=$(ls \
   -1)
echo "${MULTILINE}"

Quoting (") does matter to preserve multi-line variable values; it is optional on the right-hand side of an assignment, as word splitting is not performed, so OUTPUT=$(ls -1) would work fine.