#! /bin/bash
# array-assign.bash

#  Array operations are Bash specific,
#+ hence the ".bash" in the script name.

# Copyright (c) Michael S. Zick, 2003, All rights reserved.
# License: Unrestricted reuse in any form, for any purpose.
# Version: $ID$

#  Based on an example provided by Stephane Chazelas
#+ which appeared in the book: Advanced Bash Scripting Guide.

# Output format of the 'times' command:
# User CPU <space> System CPU
# User CPU of dead children <space> System CPU of dead children

#  Bash has two versions of assigning all elements of an array
#+ to a new array variable.
#  Both drop 'null reference' elements
#+ in Bash versions 2.04, 2.05a and 2.05b.
#  An additional array assignment that maintains the relationship of
#+ [subscript]=value for arrays may be added to newer versions.

#  Constructs a large array using an internal command,
#+ but anything creating an array of several thousand elements
#+ will do just fine.

declare -a bigOne=( /dev/* )
echo
echo 'Conditions: Unquoted, default IFS, All-Elements-Of'
echo "Number of elements in array is ${#bigOne[@]}"

# set -vx



echo
echo '- - testing: =( ${array[@]} ) - -'
times
declare -a bigTwo=( ${bigOne[@]} )
#                 ^              ^
times

echo
echo '- - testing: =${array[@]} - -'
times
declare -a bigThree=${bigOne[@]}
# No parentheses this time.
times

#  Comparing the numbers shows that the second form, pointed out
#+ by Stephane Chazelas, is from three to four times faster.

#  I will continue to use the first form in my example descriptions
#+ because I think it is a better illustration of what is happening.

#  The reusable portions of my examples will actual contain
#+ the second form where appropriate because of the speedup.

# MSZ: Sorry about that earlier oversight folks.


exit 0