Setting an argument with bash [duplicate]

Question

I frequently run a simple bash command:

rpm -Uvh --define "_transaction_color 3" myPackage.rpm

which works properly.

But now I'm trying to script it into a bash file, and make it more flexible:

#!/bin/bash
INSTALL_CMD=rpm
INSTALL_OPT="-Uvh --define '_transaction_color 3'"

${INSTALL_CMD} ${INSTALL_OPT} myPackage.rpm

However, this keeps generating the error:

error: Macro % has illegal name (%define)

The error is coming from how --define and the quoted _transaction_color is handled.
I've tried a variety of escaping, different phrasing, even making INSTALL_OPT an array, handled with ${INSTALL_OPT[@]}.

So far, my attempts have not worked.
Clearly, what I want is extremely simple. I'm just not sure how to accomplish it.

How can I get bash to handle my --define argument properly?

Answer 1

It might be a bash issue with word splitting on space:

Try:

#!/bin/bash

IFS=$'\n'

INSTALL_CMD=rpm
INSTALL_OPT='-Uvh'
INSTALL_OPT_DEFINE='--define _transaction_color 3'

${INSTALL_CMD} ${INSTALL_OPT} ${INSTALL_OPT_DEFINE} myPackage.rpm