Thread: runsed

If you have a Unix server and shell access, you can make some pretty major changes to your web sites in just a few moments by using sed, PERL, or Awk.

sed is the most simple of the three tools, but in one way it is too simple. If you use sed to edit a file, it sends the output to stdout (standard output) and you have to copy that output back into the original file.

One solution is a quick little script called runsed. With runsed, you just put your sed commands into a file called sedscr and then execute the runsed command on the files you wish to edit.

For example, let's say I was to change my AdSense publisher ID on a hundred of my web sites.

First I would create the sedscr file with the sed commands I want to execute:

Code:

s/pub-4934305865481143/pub-43449505856524753/

Then I would execute runsed on all of my include files:

Code:

[root@jupiter /usr/local/www/data]# runsed */includes/*shtml

This isn't a tool for everyone, but it has saved me thousands of hours.


Here's the source code to runsed:

Code:

# runsed - run a sed script on file(s), replace originals with edited versions

# Script looks nicer with tabstops set at 4 (in vi, :se ts=4)

myname="`basename $0`"
script=sedscr
stat=1                  # Default exit status (reset to 0 before normal exit)
temperr=/tmp/RUNSEDe$$
tempout=/tmp/RUNSEDo$$
trap 'rm -f $temperr $tempout; exit $stat' 0
trap 'echo "$myname: Interrupt!  Cleaning up..." 1>&2' 1 2 15

if [ ! -r $script -o ! -f $script ] ; then
        echo "$myname quitting: $script isn't readable or isn't a file." 1>&2
        exit
fi

case $# in
0) echo "Usage: $myname file-to-edit [files-to-edit]" 1>&2; exit ;;
esac

for x
do
        echo "$myname: editing $x: " 1>&2
        if [ "$x" = $script ] ; then
                echo "$myname: not editing $script!" 1>&2
        elif [ ! -s "$x" -o ! -f "$x" ]; then
                echo "$myname: original $x is empty or not a file." 1>&2
        elif [ ! -w "$x" ] ; then
                echo "$myname: can't write $x -- skipping..." 1>&2
        else
                # If get here, run sed.  To keep source file's permissions
                # and owner the same, don't overwrite it until the end --
                # and use "cat > file" to write the file in place.
                sed -f $script "$x" >$tempout 2>$temperr
                if [ $? -ne 0 -o -s $temperr ] ; then
                        cat $temperr 1>&2
                        echo "$myname quitting: 'sed -f $script $x' bombed!?!" 1>&2
                        exit
                elif [ -s $tempout ] ; then
                        if cmp -s "$x" $tempout; then
                                echo "$myname: $x file not changed." 1>&2
                        else
                                if /bin/cat $tempout > $x
                                then echo "$myname: done with $x" 1>&2
                                else
                                        echo "$myname quitting: problem replacing $x?" 1>&2
                                        exit
                                fi
                        fi
                else
                        echo "$myname quitting: sed produced an empty file - check your $script." 1>&2
                        echo "$myname: didn't change $x" 1>&2
                        exit
                fi
        fi
done

echo "$myname: all done" 1>&2
stat=0
exit

Awesome Will!

Thx a lot. This will spare me hundreds of hours managing links!

BTW... Would you be interested in changing you Pub ID to, let's say, a random number I'd tell you?

And, from experience working with Will...

Code:

s/pub-4934305865481143/pub-43449505856524753/g

That will make the edit for all occurrences of "pub-4934305865481143" (replace globally), rather than just the first.