string to be compared treated as command, why?

[Dreamer Fithp Apprentice]

when I run this script:

trythisvar=$(sudo ufw status verbose | tr -d -c [:alpha:])
echo $trythisvar
if "$trythisvar" = "some dumb string"
    then echo "The damn thing's alive!"
    else echo "No, it doesn't equal that."
fi

in a terminal I get this output:

me@me-dt:~$ /home/me/0_my_stuff/scripts/ufw-testing-UNFINISHED/trythis.sh 
Statusinactive
/home/me/0_my_stuff/scripts/ufw-testing-UNFINISHED/trythis.sh: line 3: Statusinactive: command not found
No, it doesn't equal that.
me@me-dt:~$

which seems to indicate that in line 3 the expansion of trythisvar is treated as a command despite being enclosed by double quotes and appearing in the context of a string comparison. Would someone mind giving me a hint why this is so? Thanks for your time to read this, even if you are as puzzled as I am, which isn't likely.

[HiImTye]

ignore this, Im an idiot mixing up differing things, one sec Ill fix your script

[Vaphell]

put condition inside square brackets

[HiImTye]

here you are:

#!/bin/bash
trythisvar=$(sudo ufw status verbose | tr -d -c [:alpha:])
if [ "$trythisvar" = "Statusinactive" ] ; then
  echo "UFW Inactive!"
else
  echo $trythisvar
fi

sorry for fixing your indenting and style, it bothers me when my scripts all don't look pretty

edit: made it actually functional

[Dreamer Fithp Apprentice]

Aha!
Thank you, HiImTye & Vaphell!

HiImTye, my indentions are merely the chaotic result of random cosmic rays and thermal noise in my brain so it's no loss.

[Dreamer Fithp Apprentice]

For the benefit of those who might read this thread because they are looking for something similar:

Note that the conditional is wrapped not just in square brackets but also by spaces. So it is bracket space condition space bracket, as in HiImTye's example. Just reading the code it is easy to not notice the spaces.

[matt_symes]

Hi

In case $trythisvar is empty (trythisvar=$(sudo ufw status verbose | tr -d -c [:alpha:]) return an empty string for some reason)

if [ x"$trythisvar" = x"Statusinactive" ] ; then

Otherwise you get (when interpreted by the shell)

if [  = "Statusinactive" ] ; then

and this will error.

Kind regards