Created SC2255 (markdown)

Vidar Holen
2019-10-12 19:54:36 -07:00
parent e854ba289e
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## `[ ]` does not apply arithmetic evaluation. Evaluate with `$((..))` for numbers, or use string comparator for strings.
### Problematic code:
```sh
[ 2*3 -eq array[i] ]
```
### Correct code:
```sh
[ $((2*3)) -eq $((array[i])) ]
```
### Rationale:
When using `[[ .. ]]` with numerical comparators (`-eq`, `-lt`, etc), the value on either side will be evaluated as an arithmetic expression. This means that `2*3` will be evaluated to `6`, and `x` will be evaluated to the contents of the variable `$x`.
When using `[ .. ]`, this does not happen. `2*3` and `x` will both be considered invalid numbers. Instead, use e.g. `$((2*3))` to evaluate the expression before passing it to `[ .. ]`.
Alternatively, if the expression should be considered a string, quote the expression and use a string comparison operator like `=` and `!=`.
### Exceptions:
None
### Related resources:
* Help by adding links to BashFAQ, StackOverflow, man pages, POSIX, etc!