Bash Script to Print Array Elements Easily

In Bash, you can print all elements of an array using echo "${array[@]}" or loop through each element with for element in "${array[@]}"; do echo "$element"; done.

Examples

Inputarray=(apple banana cherry)

Outputapple banana cherry

Inputarray=(dog cat "ice cream" "red apple")

Outputdog cat ice cream red apple

Inputarray=()

Output

How to Think About It

To print array elements in Bash, first understand that arrays hold multiple values. You can print all elements at once by expanding the array with ${array[@]}. Alternatively, you can loop through each element to print them one by one, which helps if you want each element on a new line or need to process them individually.

Algorithm

1

Define the array with elements.

2

Use array expansion <code>${array[@]}</code> to access all elements.

3

Print all elements at once or loop through each element.

4

Inside the loop, print each element separately.

Code

bash

#!/bin/bash

array=(apple banana cherry)

# Print all elements in one line
echo "${array[@]}"

# Print each element on a new line
for element in "${array[@]}"; do
  echo "$element"
done

Output

apple banana cherry
apple
banana
cherry

Dry Run

Let's trace printing the array (apple banana cherry) through the code

1

Define array

array=(apple banana cherry)

2

Print all elements at once

echo "${array[@]}" outputs: apple banana cherry

3

Loop through elements

for element in "${array[@]}"; do echo "$element"; done outputs: apple banana cherry

Iteration	element	Output
1	apple	apple
2	banana	banana
3	cherry	cherry

Why This Works

Step 1: Array Expansion

Using ${array[@]} expands all elements of the array, allowing you to access them together.

Step 2: Printing All Elements

Printing "${array[@]}" with echo shows all elements separated by spaces on one line.

Step 3: Looping Through Elements

The for loop iterates over each element, letting you print or process them individually.

Alternative Approaches

Using indices to print elements

bash

#!/bin/bash
array=(apple banana cherry)
for ((i=0; i<${#array[@]}; i++)); do
  echo "${array[i]}"
done

This method uses numeric indices to access elements, useful if you need the index during processing but is more verbose.

Print elements separated by newlines using printf

bash

#!/bin/bash
array=(apple banana cherry)
printf "%s\n" "${array[@]}"

Using printf prints each element on a new line without a loop, which is concise and efficient.

Complexity: O(n) time, O(n) space

Time Complexity

Printing all elements requires visiting each element once, so time grows linearly with the number of elements.

Space Complexity

The array occupies space proportional to its size; printing does not require extra significant memory.

Which Approach is Fastest?

Using echo "${array[@]}" is fastest for printing all elements at once; looping is flexible but slightly slower.

Approach	Time	Space	Best For
echo "${array[@]}"	O(n)	O(n)	Quick print all elements in one line
for loop over "${array[@]}"	O(n)	O(n)	Processing or printing elements individually
printf with "${array[@]}"	O(n)	O(n)	Printing each element on a new line efficiently