X-Recipient: archive-cygwin@delorie.com X-SWARE-Spam-Status: No, hits=-3.0 required=5.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_00,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_LOW,SPF_HELO_PASS,SPF_PASS X-Spam-Check-By: sourceware.org To: cygwin@cygwin.com From: "Steve Rainbird" Subject: Re: Unusual environemtal variables Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:42:46 -0000 Lines: 51 Message-ID: References: <494BA56A.7070009@byu.net> <200812211606.mBLG6LX2014401@beta.mvs.co.il> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In-Reply-To: <200812211606.mBLG6LX2014401@beta.mvs.co.il> X-IsSubscribed: yes Mailing-List: contact cygwin-help@cygwin.com; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: cygwin-owner@cygwin.com Mail-Followup-To: cygwin@cygwin.com Delivered-To: mailing list cygwin@cygwin.com "Ehud Karni" wrote in message news:200812211606.mBLG6LX2014401@beta.mvs.co.il... > On Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:45:14 -0700, Eric Blake wrote: >> >> According to Steve Rainbird on 12/19/2008 2:22 AM: >> SR:> When i run a Fuijitsu Cobol program it requires environmental >> variables >> SR:> starting with the @ sign. >> >> That is inherently non-portable. POSIX states that "Other characters may >> be permitted by an implementation; applications shall tolerate the >> presence of such names," but does not require applications to be able to >> create such names. >> >> http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/basedefs/V1_chap08.html#tag_08 >> >> SR:> >> SR:> Is there any way around this? >> >> You'll have to set it in Windows, prior to starting bash, as there is no >> way to make bash create variables not starting with something from the >> portable set [_a-zA-Z]. > > This behavior (accepting names of only ASCII Alpha and _) is a bash self > imposed limitation. If you use csh (or tcsh) names with other characters > are supported too. > > So you can use csh's: setenv "@FOO" "value". > You can also use the env command to bypass bash limitation like this: > exec env "@FOO=bar" exec /bin/bash -i > Note the 2 `exec' if you do not want to spawn more processes. > > Ehud. > > > -- > Ehud Karni Tel: +972-3-7966-561 /"\ > Mivtach - Simon Fax: +972-3-7966-667 \ / ASCII Ribbon Campaign > Insurance agencies (USA) voice mail and X Against HTML Mail > http://www.mvs.co.il FAX: 1-815-5509341 / \ > GnuPG: 98EA398D Better Safe Than Sorry > Thanks Eric and Ehud. -- Steve -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/