Array of associative arrays bash

Question

Is there a way to make an array of dictionary like in python for bash?

I want to have to keep track of multiple associative arrays in bash. Is this possible?

I am reading in from a file and each line(separated by a certain character) represents different properties.

Everything is possible if you provide a concrete problem with some examples. — anubhava
– anubhava, Commented Feb 10, 2014 at 7:00
When you start trying to build complicated data structures, it's time to move to a different language. — chepner
– chepner, Commented Feb 10, 2014 at 20:59

that other guy · Accepted Answer · 2014-02-10 20:17:21Z

1

You can trivially simulate nested associative arrays in flat ones by combining their keys:

declare -A array

set_value() { array[$1:$2]=$3; }
get_value() { echo "${array[$1:$2]}"; }

set_value english name "Name"
set_value fremch name "Nom"

get_value english name

This simple example uses arrayname:keyname as key. If your array or key names can contain colons, you can choose another delimiter, or add appropriate escaping.

edited Feb 10, 2014 at 20:17

answered Feb 10, 2014 at 7:25

that other guy

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1 Comment

chepner Over a year ago

This simulates using tuples for keys (array[english,name]) rather than nested arrays (array[english][name]). You can't, for example, easily retrieve the array array[english].

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