nested shell variables without using eval

Question

Can I get rid of eval here? I\'m trying to set $current_database with the appropriate variable determined by user input (country and action)

Answer 1

Actually, yes you can, and without resorting to associative arrays (which isn't a bad solution, mind you). You can use a solution similar to this:

> current_database=$(echo final_${country}_${action}_path)
> echo $current_database
final_es_sales_path
> current_database=${!current_database}
> echo $current_database
blahblah/es/sales.csv

This avoids arrays and evals by using indirect expansion. This appears to have been introduced in the second version of Bash, so pretty much any machine should be able to do it.