Using "read" for unknown number of inputs in variable

Question

Im new to bash scripting and I'm trying to write a script that asks for filenames and puts them into a variable (for use in an AWS CLI get from Glacier, but that's not important yet).

I want it to be able to read any number of filenames put onto the same line, separated by a space or other delimiter. I can use read to turn multiple inputs into multiple variables, like

read $variable1 $variable2

but only if I know how exactly how many inputs. How do I do it for any number?

Thanks!

Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams · Accepted Answer · 2017-03-16 16:19:29Z

1

From help read:

  -a array  assign the words read to sequential indices of the array
        variable ARRAY, starting at zero

...

read -a someArray

answered Mar 16, 2017 at 16:19

Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams

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