assign a value to a variable

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

I have a list of names in a file.
i want to assign those names to a variable in such a manner
eg:
$cat file.txt
pete
lisa
john

var=pete-lisa-john

how do i do this in shell scripting?

2

Something like this:

$cat test
123
aaa124
125bbb
126
127
123

$a=$(awk 'BEGIN {ORS="-"}{print}' test)
a=${a%-}
$echo $a
123-aaa124-125bbb-126-127-123
3

I dont want the last hifen to appear

A-B-C-D

not

A-B-C-D-

4 
var=$( sed -n -e ":a" -e "$ s/\n/-/gp;N;b a" file )

or

var=$( tr '\n' '-' <file )
var=${var%-}
5

I have edited my post, have a look at it.

6

With bash:

$ cat file.txt
pete
lisa
john

$ var=$(<file.txt) && var=${var//'
'/-} && echo $var
pete-lisa-john

Regards
Dimitre

7

It works with ksh too. Great work.

8

Yes, with ksh93,
with my ksh88 - no :slight_smile:

$ what /usr/bin/ksh
/usr/bin/ksh:
Version M-11/16/88i
SunOS 5.8 Generic 110662-14 Apr 2004

$ var=$(<file.txt) && var=${var//'
> '/-} && echo $var
ksh[2]: var=${var//"^J"/-}: bad substitution

Regards
Dimitre

9

You are right, I'm at ksh93

$what /usr/bin/ksh
/usr/bin/ksh:
        Version M-12/28/93e-SCO
        cut (AT&T Bell Laboratories) 04/01/93
        dirname (AT&T Bell Laboratories) 07/17/92
        getconf (AT&T Bell Laboratories) 05/09/95
        head (AT&T Bell Laboratories) 04/01/92
        logname (AT&T Bell Laboratories) 04/01/92
        ast (AT&T Bell Laboratories) 07/17/95
        hash (AT&T Bell Laboratories) 05/09/95
        getconf (AT&T Bell Laboratories) 07/17/95
        sfio (AT&T Bell Laboratories) 05/09/95
        UnixWare 7.1.1 uw711m5/bl1ai 2004-11-11:built on uw713mp
10

I am getting an error :
when i run the following
p= ${p%-}
basd substitution

p=A-B-C-D-

11

try this

len=$(( ${#p}-1 ))
p=$( expr substr "$p" 1 $len )