[FFmpeg-devel] [PATCH V4 1/2] configure: sort decoder/encoder/filter/... names in alphabet order

[avih]

> btw, I tried read as following, looks that read also expands '*':
> print_in_columns() {
>     read inputs
>     echo $inputs
> }

No. It expands at `echo` because you didn't quote `$inputs`.

As I commented on your v4 part 2 patch, you _must_ quote all strings unless
you know for a fact that it's not required, or that you very intentionally
want it unquoted and aware of the potential side effects. The rule of thumb
is to quote all values.

Quoting is the most fundamental subject with shell - scripting or otherwise.

Because even though it looks like a programming language with variables,
programming constructs etc, ultimately a shell is a very glorified string
processor. Everything in shell is strings, and interpreting strings is
a multi-level process which is not trivial to grasp, and where quoting is
an essential part.

You would do well to invest time to understand it as best as you can.