From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 16969 invoked by alias); 26 Sep 2015 22:02:07 -0000 Mailing-List: contact zsh-users-help@zsh.org; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk X-No-Archive: yes List-Id: Zsh Users List List-Post: List-Help: X-Seq: 20653 Received: (qmail 12221 invoked from network); 26 Sep 2015 22:02:05 -0000 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.0 (2014-02-07) on f.primenet.com.au X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.0 X-Authority-Analysis: v=2.1 cv=T/C1EZ6Q c=1 sm=1 tr=0 a=62AtbbSsrca3scplPJj5lw==:117 a=62AtbbSsrca3scplPJj5lw==:17 a=N659UExz7-8A:10 a=aS3qprKjN1g7ZM0Mb5wA:9 a=7Zwj6sZBwVKJAoWSPKxL6X1jA+E=:19 a=pILNOxqGKmIA:10 Message-id: <560715DA.3010405@eastlink.ca> Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2015 15:02:02 -0700 From: Ray Andrews User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:31.0) Gecko/20100101 Icedove/31.7.0 MIME-version: 1.0 To: zsh-users@zsh.org Subject: Re: question about parameter expansion References: <20150926101839.GA14021@gmail.com> <20150926180827.GA2617@gmail.com> <20150926185710.GA3981@gmail.com> <56070A12.7090907@eastlink.ca> <150926143404.ZM17641@torch.brasslantern.com> In-reply-to: <150926143404.ZM17641@torch.brasslantern.com> Content-type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit On 09/26/2015 02:34 PM, Bart Schaefer wrote: > On Sep 26, 2:11pm, Ray Andrews wrote: > } > } Where is this sort of thing discussed in the manual? > > Under "Parameter Expansion". Ooops ... My eye caught 'parameters, expanding', but see there is indeed 'parameter expansion' as well. That's a bit lazy of me. > > Perhaps unfortunately, you need to get familar with shell language > terminology. Yes. > The strings $1, $2, etc. are referred to as "positional > parameters" whereas $a, $foo, $PATH, etc. are "named parameters". > The signifier "$" is said to introduce an expansion. (It used to > be that it only introduced a parameter expansion, and parts of the > doc still talk about it that way, but now it also introduces other > expansions like command substitution and arithmetic.) > > The word "variable" is usually a synonym for "named parameter," but > might also refer to named strings in the process environment, which > can be referenced as if they were named parameters. Without exaggeration that's the most useful minute of reading I've done as to zsh so far. If I'd read that two years ago it would have saved me hours of grief. > > } In any case looking for 'parameter expansion' in the index is no help. > > This is a thing about the yodl/info documentation model that I don't > like. I think all the (sub)section headings should be in the index. > Instead the section headings are in "menus" (which don't show up at all > in the manpage-formatted documentation) and you can't find them with an > index search. When all else fails, an excellent index comes to the rescue. An excellent glossary is as valuable. > > In this specific case, though, "parameter expansion" does appear in the > index, along with "parameter expansion flags", "parameter modifiers", > etc. How were you searching the index? > > } 'Variable' doesn't exist in the index at all > > ?? > > * variables: Parameters. (line 6) > * variables, environment: Parameters. (line 25) > > Again, exactly how are you searching what index? Have you tried always > searching case-insensitively? U umask 17. Shell Builtin Commands Unicode combining characters 16.2.12 Zle unset parameters, substituting 16.2.3 Expansion and Globbing until loops 6.3 Complex Commands user contributions 26. User Contributions user selection 6.3 Complex Commands users, watching 17. Shell Builtin Commands V version The Z Shell Manual version control utility 26.4 Gathering information from version control systems W waiting before rm * ... pardon the busted formatting, but that's the Index as I see it. Am I barking up the wrong tree somehow?