Shell Variable Expansion

In POSIX shells (bash, sh, zsh), variable expansion happens before command execution, so variables assigned earlier on the same line are not available for expansion later on that line.

Why this fails

ARTIFACTORY_USER="alice" echo "${ARTIFACTORY_USER}"

What actually happens:

Shell performs parameter expansion → ${ARTIFACTORY_USER} (old value or empty)
Shell executes the command with a temporary environment assignment

So the expansion does not see the new value.

Correct ways to do it

✅ Use `&&` (what you suggested)

ARTIFACTORY_USER="alice" && echo "${ARTIFACTORY_USER}"

This works because:

The assignment runs first
The variable is set in the shell
The next command sees it

✅ Use separate lines (most readable)

ARTIFACTORY_USER="alice"
echo "${ARTIFACTORY_USER}"

✅ Use a subshell if you want scoping

(
  ARTIFACTORY_USER="alice"
  echo "${ARTIFACTORY_USER}"
)

Important distinction

This does work, but only for the executed command—not for expansion:

ARTIFACTORY_USER="alice" env | grep ARTIFACTORY_USER

Because env reads the environment at execution time, not expansion time.

Rule of thumb

Never rely on variable expansion from assignments made on the same command line. Use &&, newlines, or a subshell instead.