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Chapter 5: Using Linux Environment Variables > Variable Arrays
A really cool feature of environment variables is that they can be used as arrays. An array is a variable that can hold multiple values. Values can be referenced either individually or as a whole for the entire array.
To set multiple values for an environment variable, just list them in parentheses, with each value separated by a space:
$ mytest=(one two three four five)
$
Not much excitement there. If you try to display the array as a normal environment variable, you'll be disappointed:
$ echo $mytest
one
$
Only the first value in the array appears. To reference an individual array element, you must use a numerical index value, which represents its place in the array. The numeric value is enclosed in square brackets: