Combining sed Commands into a Single Script

Discover how to merge `sed` commands into an effective script, enhancing your Linux scripting skills. Perfect for Linux enthusiasts and beginners!
---

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Merge sed commands into a script

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Merging sed Commands into a Script: A Step-by-Step Guide

In the world of Linux, sed (Stream Editor) is a powerful tool for text manipulation and processing. Often, users find themselves needing to combine multiple sed commands to perform more complex data editing tasks efficiently. In this post, we will dive into how to merge sed commands into a single script to achieve desired outcomes seamlessly.

The Problem: Combining Commands

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This command does the following:

Pipes the selected output to another sed command that reverses the order of these lines.

While effective, executing this as a one-liner can be cumbersome and less readable. Here, we will explore how to convert this into a single sed script for better efficiency and clarity.

The Solution: Crafting a sed Script

Step 1: Understanding the Components

To create a single script, we need to understand the logic behind the existing commands:

10,20p – This part of the command specifies to print lines 10 to 20.

1!G;h;$!d – This command is used to reverse the lines.

Step 2: Writing the Script

We can merge these commands into a single sed script. Below is how you can achieve that:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Breakdown of the Script

# !/bin/sed -Ef – This shebang line allows the script to be executed with sed in extended mode.

10!G – For every line that is not in the range 10 to 20, this command appends the content to the hold space.

h – This command copies the content from the pattern space to the hold space.

20!d – This part deletes any lines outside the specified range, effectively controlling which lines are passed through.

Step 3: Running the Script

Make the script executable:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Execute the script on your target file:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This will display the lines from 10 to 20 in reverse order directly on the screen.

Conclusion

Merging commands can greatly enhance the readability and efficiency of your scripts in Linux. Using the method outlined above, you can easily combine sed commands into a single script that is user-friendly and effective. Whether you’re a seasoned Linux user or just starting, mastering sed can significantly streamline your text processing tasks.

Looking to further enhance your Linux skills? Stay tuned for more tips and tricks in future posts!