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Add string to middle of a file

 
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# 8  
Old 06-14-2006
Hi Shereenmoter,

I got exactly the same error:

sed: -e expression #1, char 3: Extra characters after command

This is what ive written so far:


#Get the number of lines in the file
MyVar="`wc -w NewFile | awk '{print $1}'`"

#Get The middle of the file
Middle=$ expr $MyVar / 2

#sed -e "${Middle}a $Text" NewFile

sed ${Middle}i'\Chief' NewFile


N.B. Unbeliever, i know this is still not using your method for finding the middle of the file, just testing stuff at the moment.
# 9  
Old 06-14-2006
Actually, can someone just show me a simple sed command for adding "Hello" to a file called "MyFile" at line 5. Forget the scripts just a single command to add the word hello at line 5.

Thanks, Chris.
# 10  
Old 06-14-2006
Quote:
#Get the number of lines in the file
MyVar="`wc -w NewFile | awk '{print $1}'`"

#Get The middle of the file
Middle=$ expr $MyVar / 2

#sed -e "${Middle}a $Text" NewFile

sed ${Middle}i'\Chief' NewFile
Above line should look like this:
Code:
sed ${middle}i'\
Chief' NewFile

where you have used my given code? and wc -w will give you number of words not number of lines in a file. This will insert "Hello" at line 5 of your file, pls use it as it is:
Code:
sed '5i\
hello' yourfile

I'll modify your script to make it work, you don't want that though Smilie
Code:
#Get the number of lines in the file
MyVar="`wc -l NewFile | awk '{print $1}'`"

#Get The middle of the file
Middle=`expr $MyVar / 2`

sed ${Middle}i'\
Your Text Goes here, dont use variable here' NewFile

Regards,
Tayyab
# 11  
Old 06-14-2006
The problem is you're using an old version of sed (probably on Solaris or HPUX or something similar). The examples you've been given work fine with GNU sed.

The simple answer to your last question is to put the following in a file called say myscript.sed:
Code:
5a\
Hello

And if for example your original data was in a file call mydata.txt you would issue the following command
Code:
sed -f myscript.sed mydata.txt > mynewdata.txt

You can then move the new file over the old one should you not wish to keep the original file. This should work for jsut about any version of sed.
# 12  
Old 06-14-2006
Sorry, i thought the new line was accidental.

Your script shows at the end:

"Your Text Goes here, dont use variable here' NewFile"

How would I use a variable there then? As I said I wanna pass a string variable to the script and add that to the middle of the file, not hard code the text into the script.

Chris.
# 13  
Old 06-14-2006
Get GNU sed from www.sunfreeware.com (for Solaris fo course). If you use that rather than /usr/bin/sed then all the original exmaples should work fine.
# 14  
Old 06-14-2006
create a file: t.sed that has just this, no extra lines, nothing:
Code:
5i\
hello

First ten line of file u.lis:
Code:
kcsdev:/home/jmcnama> sed '1,10!d' u.lis                  
000366202 0929910 436951                                  
002596922 0121878 436952                                  
003561604 0131361 436953                                  
006039300 0154949 436954                                  
009671002 0186675 436955                                  
009820002 0430520 436956                                  
010861409 0343742 436957                                  
015852300 0241647 436958                                  
015867300 0241666 436959                                  
015919001 0242218 436960

inserting hello at line 5
Code:
kcsdev:/home/jmcnama> sed '1,10!d' u.lis | sed -f t.sed   
000366202 0929910 436951                                  
002596922 0121878 436952                                  
003561604 0131361 436953                                  
006039300 0154949 436954                                  
hello                                                     
009671002 0186675 436955                                  
009820002 0430520 436956                                  
010861409 0343742 436957                                  
015852300 0241647 436958                                  
015867300 0241666 436959                                  
015919001 0242218 436960

If you have a file that has ten lines of data:
Code:
 sed -f t.sed my10linefile

 
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