On Thu, Oct 20, 2022 at 1:48 PM Ray Andrews wrote: > > typeset scares > me because sometimes it's a passive reporter, other times dangerously > active Yes, it's unfortunate that typeset (without options) was ever given the function you describe as "passive reporter". Worse that it's synonym "declare" behaves the same. > in this case I was just looking for information There are two typeset options specifically for that purpose: -p, which prints "typeset" commands so you can replay them e.g. with "eval" or from a script file, and "+" (all by itself), which either prints all the parameter names (and only the names), or the assignment form of whatever names follow it. (The manual still doesn't explain the latter effect, I see, claiming that nothing is allowed to follow a bare "+" sign.) > but it seems > like I created a parameter -- which '-m' seems to prevent. The -m option actually is for pattern-matching and is intended to be combined with other options ... when you use it without any others, it has the effect of canceling "what typeset does when there are no options", and that accidentally produces the effect you wanted.