Which versions of Bash are supported by these patterns?

It covers features from Bash 4.0 through the latest Bash 5.3 improvements, including advanced subscripts and sorting glob results.

Does this skill handle filenames with spaces correctly?

Yes, the skill prioritizes safe patterns using mapfile and proper array quoting to prevent dangerous word splitting in file paths.

Can I use this for complex data structures like Stacks or Queues?

Absolutely. It includes standardized implementations for Stacks, Queues, and simulated 2D arrays using associative array mapping.

How does this skill improve script performance?

It provides patterns that avoid expensive subshells in loops, utilizes built-in arithmetic, and leverages mapfile for rapid bulk data reading.

Advanced Bash Array Patterns

Name: Advanced Bash Array Patterns
Author: JosiahSiegel

byJosiahSiegel

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Developer Tools

Implements high-performance Bash array patterns, associative mapping, and efficient data processing techniques for modern shell scripts.

About

This skill provides a comprehensive toolkit for managing Bash arrays using 2025 best practices. It enables Claude to implement robust indexed and associative arrays, handle large datasets efficiently with mapfile and readarray, and perform complex transformations like filtering, sorting, and unique value extraction without external dependencies. By emphasizing performance-optimized patterns—such as avoiding subshells in loops and utilizing Bash 5.3+ features—it helps developers build faster, more reliable automation scripts and DevOps workflows.

Key Features

Version-specific support for Bash 5.2+ subscripts and GLOBSORT functionality
7 GitHub stars
Pure Bash implementations of common data structures like Stacks and Queues
Secure array initialization and safe handling of filenames with spaces
Advanced associative array patterns for configuration management and caching
High-performance file reading using mapfile/readarray with custom delimiters

Use Cases

Processing and transforming large log files or CSV data directly in the shell
Building complex automation tools that require state management and key-value mapping
Refactoring legacy shell scripts to use modern, memory-efficient array structures

About

Key Features

Version-specific support for Bash 5.2+ subscripts and GLOBSORT functionality
7 GitHub stars
Pure Bash implementations of common data structures like Stacks and Queues
Secure array initialization and safe handling of filenames with spaces
Advanced associative array patterns for configuration management and caching
High-performance file reading using mapfile/readarray with custom delimiters

Use Cases

Processing and transforming large log files or CSV data directly in the shell
Building complex automation tools that require state management and key-value mapping
Refactoring legacy shell scripts to use modern, memory-efficient array structures