How to export dot separated environment variables

Question

Execution of

user@EWD-MacBook-Pro:~$ export property.name=property.value

Gives me

-bash: export: `property.name=property.value\         


        

Answer 1

As others have said, bash doesn't allow it so you'll have to use your favourite scripting language to do it. For example, in Perl:

perl -e '$ENV{"property.name"} = "property.value"; system "bash"'

This will fire up a subshell bash with the property.name environment variable set, but you still can't access that environment variable from bash (although your program will be able to see it).

Edit: @MarkEdgar commented that the env command will work too:

 env 'property.name=property.value' bash # start a subshell, or
 env 'property.name=property.value' command arg1 arg2 ...   # Run your command

As usual, you only require quotes if you need to protect special characters from the shell or want to include spaces in the property name or value.