Re: bash: request for a way to return variables to the parent of a subshell

[Eric Blake]

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According to Richard Neill on 7/22/2008 8:04 PM:
| This prints "Match-1", but does not print "Match-2".
|
| The only way to get data out of the read-subshell is by something like
| "exit 2", and looking at $?

You can also use files.  The position within a seekable file is preserved
from child to parent, but once you are using files, you might as well go
with the file contents.

| It's already possible to export a variable into the environment, and for
| subshells to inherit variables from the main script. Do we need a new
| keyword to achieve the reverse? Is there any way to make sure that
| variables defined at [a] can be made to still exist at [b] ?

A new keyword is insufficient.  This is something that is fundamentally
not provided by Unix systems - short of using the file system, there
really isn't a way to pass arbitrary information from a child process back
to the parent.

But maybe the 'source' builtin is what you are looking for, to execute a
script in the same context rather than forking off a child.

- --
Don't work too hard, make some time for fun as well!

Eric Blake             ebb9@byu.net
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