Simple Script Help - UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Skunkie · #1 (**permalink**) 10-02-2006

Hi, First of all i would just like to say Hi to you all.
Ive just started trying to learn a bit of UNIX and am hopefully going to get on a course in the next couple of weeks to expand my knowledge of it however i have run into some problems surrounding one of the scripts i was asked to write as part of an introduction and was wondering if any of you here could possible help.

Im not asking for an answer more some pointer in the right direction as i have been looking through books and over the net for quite some time now.

The aim is the following.

Write a script that takes two arguments. The first being a line of text, the second being a newly created file. The script should take the first argument and insert it into the very top line of the file named in the second argument. The file must retain the original name.

Here is what i have done this far.

Code:

var2="$HOME/script1/Lateralus"     -----The address of the file to add to

echo "Please Enter your Input"   -----Line to ask for user input 
read var1                                   -----Read the input to a variable
echo "Your Input was the following : $var1"        --Echo input 

echo "This will be added to the top line of file : $var2"  --Echo File address

vi +0 $var2            ----Enter VI at Line 0 for filename in var2
O                         ----Start insert above current line

Now im stuck however. How can i take what i have entered into $var1 and insert it into the file. Maybe i am wrong to be using VI to do this script however i am new to this and need some guidence.

Eternally greatful to anyone that can help. Thanks for your time

ghostdog74 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-02-2006

something like this without using sed/awk etc

Code:

echo "$var1" > file.txt
cat $var2 file.txt

Skunkie · #3 (**permalink**) 10-02-2006

Later on i am going to need to adapt this to add the input to the centre of the file.

On this knowledge would u advice i start to look into sed/awk??

If so is there anywhere that you would advice starting.
Got all these books but i dont know where to start looking :

Thank you for your Help

jim mcnamara · #4 (**permalink**) 10-02-2006

awk is a good choice. If perl is an option that works very well also.

ghostdog74 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-02-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skunkie

Later on i am going to need to adapt this to add the input to the centre of the file.

On this knowledge would u advice i start to look into sed/awk??

If so is there anywhere that you would advice starting.
Got all these books but i dont know where to start looking :

Thank you for your Help

In unix, these are the tools (sed/awk/grep/perl etc) that will help you for such problems. These tools use regular expressions a lot, so it might be confusing at first for beginners.
here
might help you get started.
Personally, i like Python to solve my problems..

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