How to Read config (.cfg) files using shell scripting

smallwonder · #1 (**permalink**) 02-26-2007

Hello Friends

I am new to this forum and this is my first post.

I have to write a script in which i have to read data from a configuration ( .cfg) file. And also i have to execute/call some already written scripts from this script.

Can you people plpease help me on this regards.

Thanks in Advance.

Manish

sysgate · #2 (**permalink**) 02-26-2007

It really depends what are you trying to achive, which language will be used, what is the underlying OS, etc....
example :
I have one file called "config.cfg" and I read it like this :

Code:

if __name__ == "__main__":
# some stuff
  try:
    configFile = open('config.cfg')
    config.readfp(configFile)
  except IOError:
    print "Config.cfg file not found."
    exit()

This example is Python, reading from file on most languages is similar.

smallwonder · #3 (**permalink**) 02-26-2007

Hello Friend

Thanks for reply

I am using Unix/Solaris plateform

config file format is like this
########################
config.cfg
servername =
filepath =

student name1
#student attributes
age =
class=

student name2
age =
class =

####################

i have to use unix shell scripting.
first i have to read that server and filepath..

after that i have to access these students and their corresponding attributes.

so now can you please help me further.

Thanks in advance.

Manish

matrixmadhan · #4 (**permalink**) 02-26-2007

Not sure whether this would be of help !

config_file

servername=abc
fielpath=/anotherdir

script

Code:

servername=`awk -F"=" '/^servername/ { print $2 }' config_file`

gopidesaboyina · #5 (**permalink**) 02-26-2007

if you can get the config file like this..you may use below script.

config file format is like this
########################
config.cfg
servername =
filepath =

#student attributes
student name1 age =
student name1 class=

#student name2
student name2 age =
student name2 class =

###############################

while read line < configfile
do
`echo $line | awk -F"=" '{print $1}'`=`echo $line | awk -F"=" '{print $2}'`

# This would assign servername = < The value you specified > & so for all..
done

Now use those varibales in your script after the loop...

cfajohnson · #6 (**permalink**) 03-02-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by smallwonder

Hello Friends

I am new to this forum and this is my first post.

I have to write a script in which i have to read data from a configuration ( .cfg) file. And also i have to execute/call some already written scripts from this script.

How you read the data depends on how the .cfg file is written. I use .cfg files written as shell scripts which I just source, e.g.:

Code:

. ${0##*/}.cfg

If the file is not a valid shell script, you will have to read it line by line:

Code:

while IFS= read -r line
do
  : do whatever is necessary to interpret the line here
done < "$configfilename"

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