ss="abcdefghi"
my_array=( `echo $ss | grep -o . ` )
### without for loops ###########
declare -a NewArray=("${my_array[@]}")
echo ${NewArray[@]}
########### using a for loop #################
for i in "${my_array[@]}"
do
new_array+=($i)
done
for i in "${new_array[@]}"
do
echo $i
done