On Tue, Apr 06, 2021 at 06:34:21PM +0300, Ilkka Virta wrote: > $ declare -A a=([foo]=123 [bar]=456) > $ unset 'a[@]' > $ declare -p a > bash: declare: a: not found > > i.e. both remove the whole array, not just the contents.
Huh, so it does. I didn't know that. In that case, I have no qualms about proposing that unset 'a[@]' and unset 'a[*]' be changed to remove only the array element whose key is '@' or '*', respectively, and screw backward compatibility. The current behavior is pointless and is nothing but a surprise landmine. Anyone relying on the current behavior will just have to change their script.
