From: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 20:28:06 +0000 (-0700)
Subject: local must support multiple variables and assignment
X-Git-Url: https://git.donarmstrong.com/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=c40db0098b36e609ca389897c089239116ae0d89;p=debian%2Fdebian-policy.git

local must support multiple variables and assignment

All Bourne-type shells in Debian support localizing multiple variables
in one command, and all except posh support assignment.  Supporting
multiple variables and assignment brings the behavior of local in line
with export and readonly.  Permit /bin/sh scripts to assume that local
can take multiple variables and assignment.

Closes: Bug#473019
---

diff --git a/policy.sgml b/policy.sgml
index c9bd84f..2bc0d93 100644
--- a/policy.sgml
+++ b/policy.sgml
@@ -7040,18 +7040,19 @@ strip --strip-unneeded <var>your-lib</var>
 	      support <tt>-a</tt> and <tt>-o</tt> as binary logical
 	      operators.</item>
 	    <item><tt>local</tt> to create a scoped variable must be
-	      supported; however, <tt>local</tt> may or may not preserve
-	      the variable value from an outer scope and may or may not
-	      support arguments more complex than simple variables.  Only
-	      uses such as:
+	      supported, including listing multiple variables in a single
+	      local command and assigning a value to a variable at the
+	      same time as localizing it.  <tt>local</tt> may or
+	      may not preserve the variable value from an outer scope if
+	      no assignment is present.	 Uses such as:
 <example compact>
 fname () {
-    local a
-    a=''
-    # ... use a ...
+    local a b c=delta d
+    # ... use a, b, c, d ...
 }
 </example>
-              must be supported.
+	      must be supported and must set the value of <tt>c</tt> to
+	      <tt>delta</tt>.
             </item>
 	  </list>
 	  If a shell script requires non-SUSv3 features from the shell