bash: put list files into a variable and but size of array is 1

You're not creating an array unless you surround it with ( ):

dirlist=(`ls ${prefix}*.text`)

Declare an array of files:

arr=(~/myDir/*)

Iterate through the array using a counter:

for ((i=0; i < ${#arr[@]}; i++)); do

  # [do something to each element of array]

  echo "${arr[$i]}"
done

This:

dirlist=`ls ${prefix}*.text`

doesn't make an array. It only makes a string with space separated file names.

You have to do

dirlist=(`ls ${prefix}*.text`)

to make it an array.

Then $dirlist will reference only the first element, so you have to use

${dirlist[*]}

to reference all of them in the loop.

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