Export a value from input variable

Question

I need to export the values from input. However it's failing in bash.

Here's the code -

echo "Please enter HOST :"
read RDSHOST && export RDSHOST

And my value is something like - myserver.abc-zone5.com

I am getting this error when i run the script - unexpected EOF while looking for matching `"' syntax error: unexpected end of file

Need to understand how can i export my variable in double quotes to avoid this error

Answer 1

echo "Please enter REGION to login :" 
read region && export region 
echo "Please enter HOST to login :" 
read HOST && export HOST
echo "Please enter Port to login :" 
read localport && export localport
echo "Please enter username to login : " 
read username && export username sql "host=$HOST port=$localport user=$username --region=$region"

echo "username sql \"host=$HOST port=$localport user=$username --region=$region\""

OUTPUT:

Please enter REGION to login :
ASIA
Please enter HOST to login :
localhost
Please enter Port to login :
6000
Please enter username to login : 
foo
username sql "host=localhost port=6000 user=foo --region=ASIA"

Answer 2

shas's answer is good, and I'd like to add that the export attribute of a variable doesn't have to be set after a value is assigned into the variable. This means you can have the exports where they don't distract from the main flow of the script:

# prep for user input
export region
export HOST
export localport
export username

# prompt user for input
echo 'Please enter REGION to login :'
read region
echo 'Please enter HOST to login :'
read HOST
echo 'Please enter Port to login :'
read localport
echo 'Please enter username to login :'
read username

# show and invoke the sql command
echo "sql \"host=$HOST port=$localport user=$username --region=$region\""
sql "host=$HOST port=$localport user=$username --region=$region"

Further, export can take the names of multiple variables to set the attribute, making that part of the code shorter:

# prep for user input
export region HOST localport username

# prompt user for input
echo 'Please enter REGION to login :'
read region
echo 'Please enter HOST to login :'
read HOST
echo 'Please enter Port to login :'
read localport
echo 'Please enter username to login :'
read username

# show and invoke the sql command
echo "sql \"host=$HOST port=$localport user=$username --region=$region\""
sql "host=$HOST port=$localport user=$username --region=$region"

(I also wrapped the prompt strings in single quote marks, since they don't expand any variables, and echoed the sql command before invoking it, so the user knows what the script is doing if the sql command hangs)