shell - tar command unable to add attachment files in unix sun solaris -

i have been passing attachment filenames program , tar command unable create archive attachment files , attachment files can contain spaces in filenames . can me in identifying root cause

here atachment files "v al 2015-0974_ca.pdf" "v al 2015-0974_ma.pdf"

ksh testing.ksh 2015-0974.htm '"v al 2015-0974_ca.pdf" "v al 2015-0974_ma.pdf"' int 5  

testing.ksh

  file=${1}                                attachedfiles="${2}"   echo ${attachedfiles}   targetenv=${3}                                 priority=${4}                                    fnwp=${file%.*}                              ext=${file#*.}                              fn=${fnwp##*/}  val="tar cvf ${fn}.tar title html email delivertime "${attachedfiles}"" echo $val package=${priority}_$(date +"%y%m%d%h%m%s")_eytaxalert.nwf gzip -cv ${fn}.tar > ${package}  exit 0 

output:

a title 1k html 33k email 4k 2015-0974.tar 

expected output:

a title 1k html 33k email 4k v al 2015-0974_ca.pdf 20k v al 2015-0974_ma.pdf 15k 2015-0974.tar 

this line

testing.ksh 2015-0974.htm '"v al 2015-0974_ca.pdf" "v al 2015-0974_ma.pdf"' int 5 

invokes testing.ksh script 4 parameters, literally:

2015-0974.htm "v al 2015-0974_ca.pdf" "v al 2015-0974_ma.pdf" int 5 

note second parameter single string 4 quote marks embedded in it. assign $attachedfiles , (i think) execute following (my doubt comes fact merely echo in snippet in question, i'm guessing pasted debugging version):

tar cvf ${fn}.tar title html email delivertime "${attachedfiles}" 

that calls tar 7 arguments

cvf 2015-0974.tar title html email delivertime "v al 2015-0974_ca.pdf" "v al 2015-0974_ma.pdf" 

tar interpret first argument anoption string, second 1 filename newly-created tarfile (because of f in option string), , remaining 5 filenames. since "v al 2015-0974_ca.pdf" "v al 2015-0974_ma.pdf" not name of existing file, not added tarfile.

what intended invoke tar these arguments:

cvf 2015-0974.tar title html email delivertime v al 2015-0974_ca.pdf v al 2015-0974_ma.pdf 

like pretty every other programming language, in bash quotes part of syntax. string created not include quotes. if insert quotes string (by escaping them, or using 2 types of quoting in example), string has quotes in it. doesn't scanned again.

if want provide list of filenames on command line , filenames need quoted, need quote them individually. since script not able know how many filenames there are, best put list @ end. can refer list of arguments using slice syntax (in either bash or ksh93): "${@:4}" list of verbatim arguments (exactly provided script) starting argument 4. "${@:4:2}" precisely 2 arguments starting argument 4, think in case want of arguments end. note quotes in syntax required; indicate arguments should passed through is, rather being wordsplit.

so script might this:

file=${1} targetenv=${2}                               priority=${3}                                  fnwp=${file%.*}                            ext=${file#*.}                            fn=${fnwp##*/}  tar cvf "${fn}.tar" title html email delivertime "${@:4}" 

and called this:

ksh testing.ksh 2015-0974.htm int 5 "v al 2015-0974_ca.pdf" "v al 2015-0974_ma.pdf" 

edit:

• before solaris 11, ksh shell ksh88, not ksh93, above not work. see below. apparently, there ksh93 implementation available dtksh.

• in case non-standard syntax "${@:4}" doesn't work, here simple posix-compatible alternative:

  file=${1} targetenv=${2}                               priority=${3} # remove 3 arguments argument list: shift 3  fnwp=${file%.*}                            ext=${file#*.}                            fn=${fnwp##*/}  tar cvf "${fn}.tar" title html email delivertime "${@}"