Question

#!/bin/bash
#trash.sh

$TRASHDIR=$HOME/trash 
#Does not exist yet, i have loops further in 
#the script to check if the dir exists and to create it if not
echo $TRASHDIR
#I have ommited the rest of the script, 
#because this is where I have the problem

Let’s run this:

./trash.sh  
./trash.sh: line 3: =/home/someuser/trash: No such file or directory

How can I store this filename in a variable without bash evaluating it? Also: How do I use this variable later for tests?

if [ -e $TRASHDIR ]
then
  echo stuff here
fi

Answer 1

Leave the initial $ character off when you define a var:

TRASHDIR=$HOME/trash

When you use $TRASHDIR, bash evaluates that as the empty string (or something else if was set previously), which is why it looks like:

=/home/someuser/trash