source: vendor/bash/3.1-p17/tests/ifs.tests

OIFS="$IFS"
IFS=":$IFS"
eval foo="a:b:c"
IFS="$OIFS"
echo $foo

OIFS=$IFS
IFS=":$IFS"
foo=$(echo a:b:c)
IFS=$OIFS

for i in $foo
do
        echo $i
done

OIFS=$IFS
IFS=":$IFS"
foo=`echo a:b:c`
IFS=$OIFS

for i in $foo
do
        echo $i
done

DEFIFS=$' \t\n'

# local copy of IFS that shadows global version
function f
{
        typeset IFS=:

        echo $1
}

function ff
{
        echo $1
}

f a:b:c:d:e
x=a:b:c:d:e
echo $x

IFS=: ff a:b:c:d:e
echo $x

# doesn't get word split
IFS=$DEFIFS
# variable assignment doesn't use new value for word splitting
IFS=: echo $x
# but does this time because of the eval
IFS=: eval echo \$x

# in posix mode, assignments preceding special builtins and functions are global
set -o posix
IFS=: export x
echo $x

IFS="$DEFIFS"