Re: How to use PROMPT_COMMAND(S) without breaking other scripts

[Martijn Dekker]

Op 24-08-20 om 15:57 schreef Chet Ramey:
> I sometimes think I should have stuck with converting PROMPT_COMMAND to
> an array. Either way, there's going to be a transition, and maybe that
> would have been the easiest.

Is it too late? I think that would actually be cleaner than adding a 
separate array, per Koichi's report.

One problem is that if a script does the obvious

    PROMPT_COMMAND+=("some command here")

if PROMPT_COMMAND is not yet set, then it starts adding at array index 
0, so a subsequent traditional usage from some other script

    PROMPT_COMMAND="some command here"

would overwrite it. So array usage should not use the 0 index. To avoid 
using the 0 index, one possibility is:

    PROMPT_COMMAND[$(( ${#PROMPT_COMMAND[@]} + 1 ))]="some command here"

which, if PROMPT_COMMAND is unset, starts adding at index 1, not 0, and 
otherwise acts identically. However, 'set -u'/'set -o nounset' kills 
that. That option makes the ${#PROMPT_COMMAND[@]} expansion error out if 
there are no array elements (even though ${#@} works with no positional 
parameters). It's also an unwieldy command. So maybe that idea is not 
the best.

Another way to avoid using the 0 index, which is 'set -u' compatible, 
would be

    PROMPT_COMMAND=${PROMPT_COMMAND-}
    PROMPT_COMMAND+=("some command here")

The first command sets PROMPT_COMMAND[0] to the empty value if it 
doesn't exist yet, and otherwise leaves it unchanged. It's a bit of an 
ugly hack though.

But then, maybe it's best if bash itself just sets PROMPT_COMMAND[0] to 
the empty value on initialisation. IMO that would be a reasonably clean 
and reliable way to ensure a smooth transition.

Just my 2¢,

- M.

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