How do I set a variable to the output of a command in Bash?

 

In Bash, you can set a variable to the output of a command by using command substitution, which is done using either backticks (`) or the $() syntax. Here's how to do it with examples:

Using Backticks (`):

bash

# Using backticks to set a variable to the output of a command
output=`command-to-run`

Using $() Syntax (Recommended and more readable):

bash

# Using $() syntax to set a variable to the output of a command
output=$(command-to-run)

Here's an example of setting a variable to the output of a command using the $() syntax:

bash

# Assign the output of the 'date' command to a variable
current_date=$(date)

# Print the value of the variable
echo "Current date is: $current_date"

In this example, we use the date command to get the current date and time, and we assign the output of that command to the current_date variable using $(). Then, we print the value of the current_date variable.

You can replace command-to-run with any command you want to execute, and the output of that command will be assigned to the variable. This allows you to capture the result of a command and use it in your Bash script or command line operations.