internal field separators

internal field separators

   <operating system> ($IFS) A predefined {environment variable}
   in the {Unix} {Bourne shell} whose default value is the
   three-character string containing {space}, {tab} and {line
   feed}.  Any string of one or more of these characters
   separates the command and each of its arguments in a command
   line.

   $IFS also tells the shell's built-in read command where to
   split an input line when reading into multiple variables.
   E.g. setting IFS=: would be appropriate for reading a file
   with ':'-separated fields, such as /etc/passwd.

   (1999-04-07)