IFS (input/internal field separator)

print default IFS (whitespace, tab, newline)

printf '%q\n' "$IFS"
# or
echo -n "$IFS" | od -An -abc
# or
set | grep IFS

set custom IFS

IFS=$'\n'   # special character
IFS=':'     # regular character

set custom IFS and reset to default

OLD_IFS="$IFS"
IFS=$'\n'

# do magic here

IFS="$OLD_IFS"

reset IFS to default

IFS=$' \t\n'
# or
unset IFS

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last updated: Sat Aug 12 14:29:24 2023