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If I have an array with 5 elements, for example:

[a][b][c][d][e]

Using echo ${myarray[4]} I can see what it holds.

But what if I didn't know the number of elements in a given array? Is there a way of reading the last element of an unknown length array? i.e. The first element reading from the right to the left for any array?

I would like to know how to do this in bash.

3kstc
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5 Answers5

169

As of bash 4.2, you can just use a negative index ${myarray[-1]} to get the last element. You can do the same thing for the second-last, and so on; in Bash:

If the subscript used to reference an element of an indexed array evaluates to a number less than zero, it is interpreted as relative to one greater than the maximum index of the array, so negative indices count back from the end of the array, and an index of -1 refers to the last element.

The same also works for assignment. When it says "expression" it really means an expression; you can write in any arithmetic expression there to compute the index, including one that computes using the length of the array ${#myarray[@]} explicitly like ${myarray[${#myarray[@]} - 1]} for earlier versions.

Michael Homer
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    You can do that in ksh and zsh as well. – Janis Apr 27 '15 at 04:43
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    With zsh though, by default arrays are 1-indexed, unlike bash and ksh where they are 0-indexed. – Stephen Kitt Apr 27 '15 at 04:49
  • @StephenKitt; The ${a[-1]} works in all the three mentioned shells, though. (Only the bulky "calculated" method needs (in zsh) ${a[${#a[@]}]} as opposed to bash and ksh where you'd have to use ${a[${#a[@]}-1]}.) – Janis Apr 27 '15 at 05:03
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    Yes, of course; the short answer to this question doesn't change, but since the long form was mentioned I thought it necessary to point out the difference in behaviour there. – Stephen Kitt Apr 27 '15 at 05:05
  • @StephenKitt; Yes, the long version had been added later to the answer. Just want to make sure. – Janis Apr 27 '15 at 05:11
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    Negative index only work in bash 4.3 and above. – cuonglm Apr 27 '15 at 15:53
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    The version of Bash included with Mac OS X as of at least v10.11.5 is only 3.2, so this doesn't work on Macs. – Doktor J Nov 30 '16 at 23:05
  • But getting tail is not so simple: ${a[@]:0:${#a[@]} - 1}. – x-yuri Mar 05 '19 at 15:05
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    Also, for $@ in a function starting index is 1 (${@:1}) unless you want to include the program name. In which case do note that ${#@} doesn't take it into account. And negative indices doesn't work for $@: ${@[-1]}. – x-yuri Mar 05 '19 at 15:40
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    Note that for $@ a different syntax is required: ${@:(-1)}. – Martin Klepsch Mar 18 '19 at 10:18
  • Apparently [-1] syntax is version specific, it didn't work for me either. But this worked https://stackoverflow.com/a/16109755/10694438 – Changdae Park Mar 01 '22 at 08:36
67

Modern bash (v4.1 or better)

You can read the last element at index -1:

$ a=(a b c d e f)
$ echo ${a[-1]}
f

Support for accessing numerically-indexed arrays from the end using negative indexes started with bash version 4.1-alpha.

Older bash (v4.0 or earlier)

You must get the array length from ${#a[@]} and then subtract one to get the last element:

$ echo ${a[${#a[@]}-1]}
f

Since bash treats array subscripts as an arithmetic expression, there is no need for additional notation, such as $((...)), to force arithmetic evaluation.

John1024
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25

bash array assignment, reference, unsetting with negative index were only added in bash 4.3. With older version of bash, you can use expression in index array[${#array[@]-1}]

Another way, also work with older version of bash (bash 3.0 or better):

$ a=('[a]' '[b]' '[c]' '[d]' '[e]')
$ printf %s\\n "${a[@]:(-1)}"
[e]

or:

$ printf %s\\n "${a[@]: -1}"
[e]

Using negative offset, you need to separate : with - to avoid being confused with the :- expansion.

Stéphane Chazelas
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cuonglm
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    Make that "${a[@]: -1}" and it will work (besides bash and zsh) also in ksh. – Janis Apr 27 '15 at 05:09
  • The Kornshell docs (http://www2.research.att.com/sw/download/man/man1/ksh.html) specify it completely. (Haven't inspected the docs of zsh or bash; but I tested it in all three shells.) – Janis Apr 27 '15 at 05:20
  • @Janis: re-read bash documentation, it also mentioned about this one, too. Thanks again. – cuonglm Apr 27 '15 at 05:21
11

array

The oldest alternative(s) in bash (Since bash 3.0+) are:

$ a=(aa bb cc dd ee)
$ echo "${a[@]:(-1)}   ${a[@]: -1}   ${a[@]:(~0)}   ${a[@]:~0}"
ee   ee   ee   ee

The space is required to avoid the interpretation of : followed by a minus - as the expansion of "${var:-abc}" (Use Default Values).

The ~ is an arithmetic bitwise negation (equivalent to one's complement or flip all bits). From man bash:

ARITHMETIC EVALUATION 

      ! ~         logical and bitwise negation

Since bash-4.2+ also:

$ echo "${a[-1]}   ${a[(~0)]}"
ee   ee

Since bash 5.0+ also:

$ echo "${a[~0]}"
ee

For all bash versions (older bash):

$ echo "${a[   ${#a[@]}-1   ]}"    # spaces added **only** for readability
ee

@

For positional arguments (since bash 2.01):

$ set aa bb cc dd ee
$ echo "${@:(-1)} ${@:~0} ${@: -1} ${@:$#}   ${!#}"
ee ee ee   ee

A portable solution for all shells is to use eval:

eval printf '"%s\n"' \"\${$#}\"
-1

Also you can do this:

$ a=(a b c d e f)
$ echo ${a[$(expr ${#a[@]} - 1)]}

Result:

$ f

What you're doing is getting all the count of elements in the array and subtract -1 due you're getting all the elements, not starting from the array index that is 0.

Javier Salas
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