Variables

General

• all variables are considered strings, even numbers
• create a variable by using it
• assign a variable without the $, use it with the $
  • salutation=Hello
  • echo $salutation
• Do not use spaces on either side of the equal sign
• Double quote strings with spaces

Assigning User Input to a Variable

• Use read <variable name>
• user enters the value
• echo $<variable name>

Special Variables

• $0 = name of the shell script
• $# = number of parameters passed
• $$ = pid of the shell script
• $* = list of all parameters in a single variable
• $@ = list of all parameters in a single variable but doesn't use IFS environmental variable
• $1 = first parameter

Quoting a Variable Name

blah=douche
echo "$blah" => douche
echo '$blah => $blah