Re: for syntax differences from ksh

[Sweth Chandramouli <sweth@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 11:44 AM -0400 on 10/17/97, Bart Schaefer wrote:


> On Oct 17, 10:25am, Andrew Main wrote:
> } Subject: Re: for syntax differences from ksh
> }
> } Sweth Chandramouli wrote:
> } >
> } >addpath () {
> } >for pathdir in $*; do
> } >   if test -d $pathdir; then
> } >      PATH=$PATH:$pathdir
> } >   fi;
> } >done
> } >}
> }
> } This function is correct for zsh.
>
> Yes, but I'd recommend
>
> 	PATH=${PATH}:$pathdir
>
> because of zsh's `:' variable modifiers.  It happens to work here because
> zsh ignores the `:' when it is not followed by a recognized modifier, but
> I think it's a bad habit to rely upon that.

	in a search for a better habit: is it then always correct to enclose
the variable name in braces?  i remember being told at some point not to do
so, though i think that was for a different shell altogether.

	(thanks to everyone who explained the word splitting problem; as soon
as the first person pointed it out, i remembered reading it in the faq.
doh!)

	-- sweth