Question

i need a bash script for mac osx working in this way:

./script.sh * folder/to/files/ 
#
# or #
#
./script.sh xx folder/to/files/

This script

• read a list of files
• open each file and read each lines
• if lines ended with the same letters (‘*‘ mode) or with custom letters (‘xx‘) then
  remove line and RE-SAVE file
• backup original file

---

My first approach to do this:

#!/bin/bash

# ck init params
if [ $# -le 0 ]
then
  echo "Usage: $0 <letters>"
  exit 0
fi

# list files in current dir
list=`ls BRUTE*` 
for i in $list 
do 

  # prepare regex    
  case $1 in
       "*") REGEXP="^.*(.)\1+$";;
       *) REGEXP="^.*[$1]$";;
  esac    
  FILE=$i

  # backup file
  cp $FILE $FILE.bak

  # removing line with same letters
  sed -Ee "s/$REGEXP//g" -i '' $FILE
  cat $FILE | grep -v "^$"

done

exit 0

But it doesn’t work as i want….

What’s wrong?
How can i fix this script?

---

Example:

$cat BRUTE02.dat BRUTE03.dat
aa
ab
ac
ad
ee
ef
ff
hhh
$

If i use ‘*‘ i want all files that ended with same letters to be clean.
If i use ‘ff‘ i want all files that ended with ‘ff‘ to be clean.

---

Ah, it’s on Mac OSx. Remember that sed is a little different from classical linux sed.

man sed

 sed [-Ealn] command [file ...]
 sed [-Ealn] [-e command] [-f command_file] [-i extension] [file

…]

DESCRIPTION
The sed utility reads the specified files, or the standard input
if no files are specified, modifying the input as specified by a list
of commands. The
input is then written to the standard output.

 A single command may be specified as the first argument to sed. 

Multiple commands may be specified by using the -e or -f options. All
commands are applied
to the input in the order they are specified regardless of their
origin.

 The following options are available:

 -E      Interpret regular expressions as extended (modern)

regular expressions rather than basic regular expressions (BRE’s).
The re_format(7) manual page
fully describes both formats.

 -a      The files listed as parameters for the ``w'' functions

are created (or truncated) before any processing begins, by default.
The -a option causes
sed to delay opening each file until a command containing
the related “w” function is applied to a line of input.

 -e command
         Append the editing commands specified by the command

argument to the list of commands.

 -f command_file
         Append the editing commands found in the file

command_file to the list of commands. The editing commands should
each be listed on a separate line.

 -i extension
         Edit files in-place, saving backups with the specified

extension. If a zero-length extension is given, no backup will be
saved. It is not recom-
mended to give a zero-length extension when in-place
editing files, as you risk corruption or partial content in situations
where disk space is
exhausted, etc.

 -l      Make output line buffered.

 -n      By default, each line of input is echoed to the standard

output after all of the commands have been applied to it. The -n
option suppresses this
behavior.

 The form of a sed command is as follows:

       [address[,address]]function[arguments]

 Whitespace may be inserted before the first address and the

function portions of the command.

 Normally, sed cyclically copies a line of input, not including

its terminating newline character, into a pattern space, (unless there
is something left
after a “D” function), applies all of the commands with
addresses that select that pattern space, copies the pattern space to
the standard output, append-
ing a newline, and deletes the pattern space.

 Some of the functions use a hold space to save all or part of the

pattern space for subsequent retrieval.

anything else?
it’s clear my problem?

thanks.

Answer 1

This is the problem!

grep '\(.\)\1[^\r\n]$' *

on MAC OSX, ( ) { }, etc… must be quoted!!!

Solved, thanks.