Evaluate bash string into an array in bash

Question

I'm using a VS Code task to run a script that runs my jest tests on the currently opened file. It prompts me to type in a test pattern and, if something is entered, passes the value in as an environment variable. I want to split that variable an array to be modified passed in as arguments to my jest call. Because test names almost always include spaces (or any other character), I want to be able to be able to pass multiple patterns with quotes around them.

Input

"test 1" "test 2" "test 3"

Generated environment variables

args='"test 1" "test 2" "test 3"'
testFile="path/to/currently opened/file"

Desired command to run in script:

npm run test -- "path/to/currently opened/file" -t "test 1" -t "test 2" -t "test 3"

I've figured out how to do everything except evaluate $args as an array. Here's what I have to test various attempts at parsing this.

#!/bin/bash

echo "$args"
echo

scriptArgs=( $args )
echo ${#scriptArgs}
echo ${#scriptArgs[@]}
echo

scriptArgs=( "${args[@]}" )
echo ${#scriptArgs}
echo ${#scriptArgs[@]}
echo

scriptArgs=( "$args" )
echo ${#scriptArgs}
echo ${#scriptArgs[@]}
echo

scriptArgs=( $(echo $args) )
echo ${#scriptArgs}
echo ${#scriptArgs[@]}
echo

scriptArgs=( "$(echo $args)" )
echo ${#scriptArgs}
echo ${#scriptArgs[@]}
echo

# prints:
#
#  "test 1" "test 2" "test 3"
#  
#  5
#  6
#  
#  26
#  1
#  
#  26
#  1
#  
#  5
#  6
#  
#  26
#  1

The desired value is 3.

Answer 1

You need to use eval to get the quotes processed.

eval "scriptArgs=($args)"