How do I join an array of strings where each string has spaces?

Question

My bash script:

#!bin/bash
MY_ARRAY=("Some string" "Another string")
function join { local IFS="$1"; shift; echo -e "$*"; }
join "," ${MY_ARRAY[@]}

I want the output to be: Some string,Another string.

Instead, I get Some,string,Another,string.

What must I change to get the result I want?

Answer 1

My modified version of your script:

#!bin/bash
my_array=("Some string" "Another string")
my_join() {
  [ "$#" -ge 1 ] || return 1
  local IFS="$1"
  shift
  printf '%s\n' "$*"
}
my_join , "${my_array[@]}"

Notes:

• Don't use uppercase variable names
  • See Are there naming conventions for variables in shell scripts?
• join is a standard tool. Use a different name.
• Use quoting
  • See Why does my shell script choke on whitespace or other special characters?
• Use printf, not echo
  • See Why is printf better than echo?