Can a bash function return a value?

Bash functions, unlike functions in most programming languages do not allow you to return a value to the caller. To return values, you can set a global variable with the result, or use command substitution, or you can pass in the name of a variable to use as the result variable. …

How do I return a function in bash?

A bash function can return a value via its exit status after execution. By default, a function returns the exit code from the last executed command inside the function. It will stop the function execution once it is called. You can use the return builtin command to return an arbitrary number instead.

How does shell function return value?

A function may return a value in one of four different ways:

Change the state of a variable or variables.
Use the exit command to end the shell script.
Use the return command to end the function, and return the supplied value to the calling section of the shell script.

Can bash functions take arguments?

Instead, Bash functions work like shell commands and expect arguments to be passed to them in the same way one might pass an option to a shell command (e.g. ls -l ). In effect, function arguments in Bash are treated as positional parameters ( $1, $2.. $9, ${10}, ${11} , and so on).

Can bash function return string?

Bash function can return a string value by using a global variable. In the following example, a global variable, ‘retval’ is used. A string value is assigned and printed in this global variable before and after calling the function. The value of the global variable will be changed after calling the function.

Can bash function access global variable?

Global variables They are visible and valid anywhere in the bash script. You can even get its value from inside the function.

What does return do in bash script?

The return statement will return to the script from where it was called, while the exit statement will end the entire script from wherever it is encountered. return 0 # Returns to where the function was called. $? contains 0 (success).

Can bash functions return a string?

How do you return an array from a function in bash?

This approach involves the following three steps:

Convert the array with ‘declare -p’ and save the output in a variable.
Use the echo builtin to pass the variable to a function or to pass it back from there.
Finally, recreate the array where it is passed to using the eval and the ‘declare -a’ builtins.

How do you return an array in bash?

Is it possible to pass a value to a function in Bash?

It is possible to pass a value from the function back to the bash using the return command. The return statement terminates the function. The syntax is as follows:

When does a Bash function end its return value?

When a bash function ends its return value is its status: zero for success, non-zero for failure. To return values, you can set a global variable with the result, or use command substitution, or you can pass in the name of a variable to use as the result variable. The examples below describe these different mechanisms.