A variable modified inside a while loop is not remembered

Question

In the following program, if I set the variable $foo to the value 1 inside the first if statement, it works in the sense that its value is remember

Answer 1

How about a very simple method

    +call your while loop in a function 
     - set your value inside (nonsense, but shows the example)
     - return your value inside 
    +capture your value outside
    +set outside
    +display outside


    #!/bin/bash
    # set -e
    # set -u
    # No idea why you need this, not using here

    foo=0
    bar="hello"

    if [[ "$bar" == "hello" ]]
    then
        foo=1
        echo "Setting  \$foo to $foo"
    fi

    echo "Variable \$foo after if statement: $foo"

    lines="first line\nsecond line\nthird line"

    function my_while_loop
    {

    echo -e $lines | while read line
    do
        if [[ "$line" == "second line" ]]
        then
        foo=2; return 2;
        echo "Variable \$foo updated to $foo inside if inside while loop"
        fi

        echo -e $lines | while read line
do
    if [[ "$line" == "second line" ]]
    then
    foo=2;          
    echo "Variable \$foo updated to $foo inside if inside while loop"
    return 2;
    fi

    # Code below won't be executed since we returned from function in 'if' statement
    # We aready reported the $foo var beint set to 2 anyway
    echo "Value of \$foo in while loop body: $foo"

done
}

    my_while_loop; foo="$?"

    echo "Variable \$foo after while loop: $foo"


    Output:
    Setting  $foo 1
    Variable $foo after if statement: 1
    Value of $foo in while loop body: 1
    Variable $foo after while loop: 2

    bash --version

    GNU bash, version 3.2.51(1)-release (x86_64-apple-darwin13)
    Copyright (C) 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.