Re: nameref and referenced variable scope, setting other attributes (was "local -g" declaration references local var in enclosing scope)

[Greg Wooledge]

On Thu, Mar 14, 2024 at 10:15:35AM -0400, Zachary Santer wrote:
> > $ cat ./nameref-what
> > #!/usr/bin/env bash
> >
> > func_1 () {
> >   local var_3='EGG'
> >   func_2
> >   printf '%s\n' "func_1:"
> >   local -p var_3
> > }
> >
> > func_2 () {
> >   local -n nameref_3='var_3'
> >   nameref_3='soufflé'
> >   local var_4='GROUND BEEF'
> >   local -n nameref_4='var_4'
> >   local -l nameref_4
> >   printf '%s\n' "func_2:"
> >   local -p nameref_3
> >   local -p var_3
> >   local -p nameref_4
> >   local -p var_4
> > }
> >
> > func_1
> >
> > $ ./nameref-what
> > func_2:
> > declare -n nameref_3="var_3"
> > ./nameref-what: line 31: local: var_3: not found
> > declare -n nameref_4="var_4"
> > declare -l var_4="GROUND BEEF"
> > func_1:
> > declare -- var_3="soufflé"
> 
> Not on a machine with bash right now. 'declare -p var_3' in func_2 ()
> said var_3 was not found, despite it having just been set by assigning
> a value to the nameref variable nameref_3.

I can't seem to duplicate this.  This is with bash 5.2:

hobbit:~$ cat foo
#!/bin/bash

outer() {
    local var3=EGG
    inner
}

inner() {
    local -n ref3=var3
    ref3=BANANA
    declare -p ref3
    declare -p var3
}

outer
hobbit:~$ ./foo
declare -n ref3="var3"
declare -- var3="BANANA"

And I get the same result in older versions as well:

hobbit:~$ bash-5.1 foo
declare -n ref3="var3"
declare -- var3="BANANA"
hobbit:~$ bash-5.0 foo
declare -n ref3="var3"
declare -- var3="BANANA"
hobbit:~$ bash-4.4 foo
declare -n ref3="var3"
declare -- var3="BANANA"
hobbit:~$ bash-4.3 foo
declare -n ref3="var3"
declare -- var3="BANANA"