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Full Discussion: Need help for a Shell script to rename multiple files
Top Forums Shell Programming and Scripting Need help for a Shell script to rename multiple files Post 302400620 by drewk on Wednesday 3rd of March 2010 05:34:47 PM
Old 03-03-2010
I think both forms of the loops are choking because the whitespace in the file names. The shell uses the value of IFS to break apart fields, and this is usually a white space. Using a shell 'for' loop in the form of

Code:
for file in $( ls Illustrator* ) #modern form of: for file in `ls Illustrator*`

will break all the files names apart on white spaces (or more accurately on the values in $IFS). You will get the error of "[utility]: No such file or directory [file fragment]"

the other 'for' loop form of:

Code:
for file in '$( ls Illustrator* )' #or for file in "$( ls Illustrator* )"

also does not work because the shell loop returns a single monolithic paragraph with ALL the files names in it.

You can a) rename all the files with no white space, or b) use a form of loop that can use asciz strings for the loop, c) use Perl.

The general form of loop 'b' that can use ASCIZ strings in the loop is like this:

Code:
find [directory] -type f [-maxdepth X] -print0 | while read -d $'\0' file
do
   #rename the files
done

Note the "-print0" and the "while read -d $'\0'". The first reads the file names and puts them in a string that is terminated by a ASCII NUL; the second sets a while loop that reads the list with NUL terminators...

Good luck!
Last edited by drewk; 03-03-2010 at 06:52 PM..
 

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LEARN ABOUT PLAN9

break

break(1)							   User Commands							  break(1)

NAME

       break, continue - shell built-in functions to escape from or advance within a controlling while, for, foreach, or until	loop

SYNOPSIS

   sh
       break [n]

       continue [n]

   csh
       break

       continue

   ksh
       *break [n]

       *continue [n]

DESCRIPTION

   sh
       The break utility exits from the enclosing for or while loop, if any. If n is specified, break n levels.

       The continue utility resumes the next iteration of the enclosing for or while loop. If n is specified, resume at the n-th enclosing loop.

   csh
       The  break  utility  resumes  execution after the end of the nearest enclosing foreach or while loop. The remaining commands on the current
       line are executed. This allows multilevel breaks to be written as a list of break commands, all on one line.

       The continue utility continues execution of the next iteration of the nearest enclosing while or foreach loop.

   ksh
       The break utility exits from the enclosed for, while, until, or select loop, if any. If n is specified,	then  break  n	levels.  If  n	is
       greater than the number of enclosing loops, the outermost enclosing loop shall be exited.

       The  continue utility resumes the next iteration of the enclosed for, while, until, or select loop. If n is specified then resume at the n-
       th enclosed loop. If n is greater than the number of enclosing loops, the outermost enclosing loop shall be used.

       On this man page, ksh(1) commands that are preceded by one or two * (asterisks) are treated specially in the following ways:

       1.  Variable assignment lists preceding the command remain in effect when the command completes.

       2.  I/O redirections are processed after variable assignments.

       3.  Errors cause a script that contains them to abort.

       4.  Words that follow a command preceded by ** that are in the format of a variable assignment are expanded with the same rules as a  vari-
	   able  assignment.  This means that tilde substitution is performed after the = sign, and also that word splitting and file name genera-
	   tion are not performed.

ATTRIBUTES

       See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:

       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
       |      ATTRIBUTE TYPE	     |	    ATTRIBUTE VALUE	   |
       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
       |Availability		     |SUNWcsu			   |
       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+

SEE ALSO

       csh(1), exit(1), ksh(1), sh( 1), attributes(5)

SunOS 5.10							    17 Jul 2002 							  break(1)
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