Re: consistency probs w/ 'readonly -f' & 'export -f

[Greg Wooledge]

On Thu, Jun 08, 2017 at 03:48:21PM -0700, L A Walsh wrote:
> >Second) What is the official way to list functions w/their 
> >flags+definitions
> >       in a way reusable as input?

declare -fp funcname

> >Third) How can one print the flags on a single function?
> using> declare -pf <funcname>

Why are you asking if you already know the answer?

> output:
>   <funcname> ()
>   {
>       <content>
>   }
>   declare -frx <funcname>

Right.  There you go.

> >why [is] the "declare [flags] name=value"
> >format ... prevented from working for functions?

I don't know what you mean.  A function is not a name=value pair.
Why would you expect the output to have an = sign in it?  Or, why
would you expect name=value to create a function?

Are you asking to see the internal serialization syntax that bash uses
when it hacks a function definition into the environment?  You can just
dump the raw environment variable if that's what you want.

imadev:~$ export -f sprunge
imadev:~$ env | awk '/_sprunge/{print; getline; print}'
BASH_FUNC_sprunge%%=() {  tail -n +1 -- "$@" | curl -F 'sprunge=<-' 
http://sprunge.us
}

Is that what you're looking for?  Bear in mind, the environment variable
name is dependent on which shellshock patch your version of bash uses.
E.g. in Debian wheezy:

greg@remote:~$ foo() { echo foo; }; export -f foo
greg@remote:~$ env | awk '/_foo/{print; getline; print}'
BASH_FUNC_foo()=() {  echo foo
}

This is not meant to be seen by the ordinary end user.  It's internal
voodoo.

> Sure seems like it would allow for some better consistency in
> some circumstances, not to mention a more compact function-definition
> form for re-use.

What are you talking about?  Consistency between what two things?

Are you allergic to newlines?  declare -p uses raw newlines in its output
whenever it feels they are appropriate.  Even in ordinary shell variables:

imadev:~$ x=$'foo\nbar'
imadev:~$ declare -p x
declare -- x="foo
bar"

Is that "consistent" enough for you?

Remember, a newline only takes 1 byte of memory.

The output is reusable, but only if you actually use it correctly.  E.g.
stuff it into a variable and use eval "$myvar" with the double quotes.
Or redirect it into a file and use source ./myfile.

What are you trying to do?  What did you try?  What happened?  What did
you expect to happen instead?