Check if a Bash array contains a value

Question

In Bash, what is the simplest way to test if an array contains a certain value?

Answer 1

Using grep and printf

Format each array member on a new line, then grep the lines.

if printf '%s\n' "${array[@]}" | grep -x -q "search string"; then echo true; else echo false; fi

example:

$ array=("word", "two words")
$ if printf '%s\n' "${array[@]}" | grep -x -q "two words"; then echo true; else echo false; fi
true

Note that this has no problems with delimeters and spaces.