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Preston Cole
Asked: 2017-12-10 10:26:07 +0800 CST

Modify test after string in multiple files

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Think I should use sed, but can't get it down correctly.

I have a folder full of text files. They're all constructed the same, with a list of variables, e.g.

NAME=John
AGE=30
CODE=xyz

I need to look at all files, and modify the value of a variable, like CODE, to something. So, file1.txt - change CODE=xyz to CODE=123 file2.txt - change CODE=foo to CODE=123

What I change it TO will be the same for all files.

Is sed the best for this?

sed

1 Answers

  1. This should be able to change those values:

    find /path/to/foler/ -type f -exec sed 's/CODE=.../CODE=123/' {} \;

    Running the above code will not change anything but lets you see what gets changed. To get it to chanage those values add the -i flag:

    find /path/to/folder/ -type f -exec sed -i 's/CODE=.../CODE=123/' {} \;

    Backups are also possible but with the kind of size, your talking about this might not be a good idea.

    Information:

    • ...: represents just three letters or characters, so . will be for one
    • -type f: we are looking for files only
    • -i: change the values in-place
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