From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Return-Path: <zsh-workers-request@math.gatech.edu>
Received: (qmail 20068 invoked from network); 17 Aug 1998 14:16:50 -0000
Received: from math.gatech.edu (list@130.207.146.50)
  by ns1.primenet.com.au with SMTP; 17 Aug 1998 14:16:50 -0000
Received: (from list@localhost)
	by math.gatech.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id JAA19642;
	Mon, 17 Aug 1998 09:55:41 -0400 (EDT)
Resent-Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 09:55:32 -0400 (EDT)
Sender: dfavor@austin.ibm.com
Message-Id: <35D836E3.F7BEBC77@austin.ibm.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 08:57:55 -0500
From: "David R. Favor" <dfavor@austin.ibm.com>
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.05 [en] (X11; I; AIX 4.3)
Mime-Version: 1.0
To: Zsh List <zsh-users@math.gatech.edu>
Subject: Parameter Expansion questions
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Resent-Message-ID: <"g0vax2.0.Ro4.CP3sr"@math>
Resent-From: zsh-users@math.gatech.edu
X-Mailing-List: <zsh-users@math.gatech.edu> archive/latest/1720
X-Loop: zsh-users@math.gatech.edu
X-Loop: zsh-workers@math.gatech.edu
Precedence: list
Resent-Sender: zsh-workers-request@math.gatech.edu

In ksh, word splitting occurs auto-magically via setting IFS, thus:

   SAVEIFS="$IFS"
   IFS=:
   splitpath=$PATH
   IFS="$SAVEIFS

results in $splitpath having $PATH contents with ':' characters changed
to blanks.

In zsh, I'm having a challenge deciphering the manual about parameter
expansion options. I've tried the following, without success. All fragments
set $IFS=: before expansion:

   export SH_WORD_SPLIT     // explicit 'set SH_WORD_SPLIT'
   splitpath=$*

and

   splitpath=${=PATH}       // implicit 'set SH_WORD_SPLIT'

and

   splitpath=${buf:s:':':}  // word split s:char:

Can someone let me know what I'm doing wrong in each of these situations?

I did figure out that this works:

   splitpath=${buf:gs/:/ /}

Also,

Also, a pointer to some good examples of parameter expansion would be great.

Thanks.