X-Recipient: archive-cygwin AT delorie DOT com
X-SWARE-Spam-Status: No, hits=-0.3 required=5.0 	tests=AWL,BAYES_50
X-Spam-Check-By: sourceware.org
Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:06:21 +0200
Message-Id: <200812211606.mBLG6LX2014401@beta.mvs.co.il>
From: "Ehud Karni" <ehud AT unix DOT mvs DOT co DOT il>
To: ebb9 AT byu DOT net
Cc: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com, steve DOT rainbird AT mssint DOT com
Subject: Re: Unusual environemtal variables
In-reply-to: <494BA56A.7070009@byu.net> (message from Eric Blake on Fri, 19 	Dec 2008 06:45:14 -0700)
Reply-to: ehud AT unix DOT mvs DOT co DOT il
References: <gifp4m$u1t$1 AT ger DOT gmane DOT org> <494BA56A DOT 7070009 AT byu DOT net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-IsSubscribed: yes
Mailing-List: contact cygwin-help AT cygwin DOT com; run by ezmlm
Precedence: bulk
List-Id: <cygwin.cygwin.com>
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:cygwin-unsubscribe-archive-cygwin=delorie DOT com AT cygwin DOT com>
List-Subscribe: <mailto:cygwin-subscribe AT cygwin DOT com>
List-Archive: <http://sourceware.org/ml/cygwin/>
List-Post: <mailto:cygwin AT cygwin DOT com>
List-Help: <mailto:cygwin-help AT cygwin DOT com>, <http://sourceware.org/ml/#faqs>
Sender: cygwin-owner AT cygwin DOT com
Mail-Followup-To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Delivered-To: mailing list cygwin AT cygwin DOT com

On Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:45:14 -0700, Eric Blake <ebb9 AT byu DOT net> 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 <http://www.keyserver.net/>    Better Safe Than Sorry

--
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/