Question

A backup script must process a list of directory paths, some of which contain spaces (e.g., '/data/project files'). The current code fails, treating each word as a separate item:

```bash
DIRS="/data/project files /var/log /srv/web root"
for d in $DIRS; do
  tar -czf "/backup/$(basename "$d").tgz" "$d"
done
```

Which change correctly handles paths containing spaces?

Accepted Answer

Declare the paths as a Bash array and iterate with quoted expansion: DIRS=("/data/project files" "/var/log" "/srv/web root") and for d in "${DIRS[@]}"; do

Answer

Wrap the variable in double quotes in the loop header: for d in "$DIRS"; do

Answer

Set IFS to a comma and keep the string variable: IFS=',' before the loop

Answer

Escape the loop variable with backslashes: for d in \$DIRS; do