assign-path()
{
    str=$1
    # if the $PATH is empty, assign it directly.
    if [ -z $PATH ]; then
        PATH=$str;
    # if the $PATH does not contain the substring, append it with ':'.
    elif [[ $PATH != *$str* ]]; then
        PATH=$PATH:$str;
    fi
}

assign( bigstr, substr )
{
    if [ -z bigstr ]; then
        bigstr=substr;
    elif [[ bigstr != *str* ]]; then
        bigstr=bigstr:substr;
    fi
}

$ var=hello
$ foo () { echo "${!1}"; }
$ foo var
hello

$ var=target
$ declare "$var=hello"
$ echo "$target"
hello

shopt -s extglob

assign()
{
  target=$1
  bigstr=${!1}
  substr=$2

  if [ -z "$bigstr" ]; then
    declare -g -- "$target=$substr"
  elif [[ $bigstr != @(|*:)$substr@(|:*) ]]; then
    declare -g -- "$target=$bigstr:$substr"
  fi
}

assign PATH /path/to/binaries

[[ $bigstr != $substr && $bigstr != *:$substr &&
   $bigstr != $substr:* && $bigstr != *:$substr:* ]]

eval

eval

eval

augment

augment

v='echo "OHNO!" ; var' ; l=val ; eval $v='$l'

assign ()
{
    if [ -z ${!1} ]; then
        eval $1=$2
    else
        if [[ ${!1} != *$2* ]]; then
            eval $1=${!1}:$2
        fi
    fi
}

$ echo =$x=
==
$ assign x y
$ echo =$x=
=y=
$ assign x y
$ echo =$x=
=y=
$ assign x z
$ echo =$x=
=y:z=

: ${PATH:=this is only assigned to $PATH if $PATH is null or unset}

_fn() { echo "$1 ${2:-"$1"} $str" ; }

% str= ; _fn "${str:=hello}"
> hello hello hello

assign() { oFS=$IFS ; IFS=: ; add=$*
    set -- $PATH ; for p in $add ; do {
        for d ; do [ -z "${d%"$p"}" ] && break
        done ; } || set -- $* $p ; done
    PATH= ; echo "${PATH:="$*"}" ; IFS=$oFS
}

% PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/yes/bin
% assign
    /usr/bin
    /usr/yes/bin
    /usr/nope/bin
    /usr/bin
    /nope/usr/bin
    /usr/nope/bin

> /usr/bin:/usr/yes/bin:/usr/nope/bin:/nope/usr/bin

% echo "$PATH"
> /usr/bin:/usr/yes/bin:/usr/nope/bin:/nope/usr/bin

% dir="/some crazy/dir"
% p=`assign /usr/bin /usr/bin/new "$dir"`
% echo "$p" ; echo "$PATH"
> /usr/bin:/usr/yes/bin:/usr/nope/bin:/nope/usr/bin:/some crazy/dir:/usr/bin/new
> /usr/bin:/usr/yes/bin:/usr/nope/bin:/nope/usr/bin:/some crazy/dir:/usr/bin/new

testPassingParams() {

    @var hello
    l=4 @array anArrayWithFourElements
    l=2 @array anotherArrayWithTwo
    @var anotherSingle
    @reference table   # references only work in bash >=4.3
    @params anArrayOfVariedSize

    test "$hello" = "$1" && echo correct
    #
    test "${anArrayWithFourElements[0]}" = "$2" && echo correct
    test "${anArrayWithFourElements[1]}" = "$3" && echo correct
    test "${anArrayWithFourElements[2]}" = "$4" && echo correct
    # etc...
    #
    test "${anotherArrayWithTwo[0]}" = "$6" && echo correct
    test "${anotherArrayWithTwo[1]}" = "$7" && echo correct
    #
    test "$anotherSingle" = "$8" && echo correct
    #
    test "${table[test]}" = "works"
    table[inside]="adding a new value"
    #
    # I'm using * just in this example:
    test "${anArrayOfVariedSize[*]}" = "${*:10}" && echo correct
}

fourElements=( a1 a2 "a3 with spaces" a4 )
twoElements=( b1 b2 )
declare -A assocArray
assocArray[test]="works"

testPassingParams "first" "${fourElements[@]}" "${twoElements[@]}" "single with spaces" assocArray "and more... " "even more..."

test "${assocArray[inside]}" = "adding a new value"

Function.AssignParamLocally() {
    local commandWithArgs=( $1 )
    local command="${commandWithArgs[0]}"

    shift

    if [[ "$command" == "trap" || "$command" == "l="* || "$command" == "_type="* ]]
    then
        paramNo+=-1
        return 0
    fi

    if [[ "$command" != "local" ]]
    then
        assignNormalCodeStarted=true
    fi

    local varDeclaration="${commandWithArgs[1]}"
    if [[ $varDeclaration == '-n' ]]
    then
        varDeclaration="${commandWithArgs[2]}"
    fi
    local varName="${varDeclaration%%=*}"

    # var value is only important if making an object later on from it
    local varValue="${varDeclaration#*=}"

    if [[ ! -z $assignVarType ]]
    then
        local previousParamNo=$(expr $paramNo - 1)

        if [[ "$assignVarType" == "array" ]]
        then
            # passing array:
            execute="$assignVarName=( "${@:$previousParamNo:$assignArrLength}" )"
            eval "$execute"
            paramNo+=$(expr $assignArrLength - 1)

            unset assignArrLength
        elif [[ "$assignVarType" == "params" ]]
        then
            execute="$assignVarName=( "${@:$previousParamNo}" )"
            eval "$execute"
        elif [[ "$assignVarType" == "reference" ]]
        then
            execute="$assignVarName="$$previousParamNo""
            eval "$execute"
        elif [[ ! -z "${!previousParamNo}" ]]
        then
            execute="$assignVarName="$$previousParamNo""
            eval "$execute"
        fi
    fi

    assignVarType="$__capture_type"
    assignVarName="$varName"
    assignArrLength="$__capture_arrLength"
}

Function.CaptureParams() {
    __capture_type="$_type"
    __capture_arrLength="$l"
}

alias @trapAssign='Function.CaptureParams; trap "declare -i "paramNo+=1"; Function.AssignParamLocally "$BASH_COMMAND" "$@"; [[ $assignNormalCodeStarted = true ]] && trap - DEBUG && unset assignVarType && unset assignVarName && unset assignNormalCodeStarted && unset paramNo" DEBUG; '
alias @param='@trapAssign local'
alias @reference='_type=reference @trapAssign local -n'
alias @var='_type=var @param'
alias @params='_type=params @param'
alias @array='_type=array @param'

function foo(){
     # $1 is first param
     # $2 is second param ...
 }

result=`foo "param1" "param2" ...`
 # they will go the right way.