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Thread: Commenting out lines in a file using a bash script.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Beans
    54

    Commenting out lines in a file using a bash script.

    Hi.

    I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out how I could comment out certain lines in a file using a bash script.

    The lines I'm looking for are
    Code:
        <IfModule mod_userdir.c>
            <Directory /home/*/public_html>
                php_admin_value engine Off
            </Directory>
        </IfModule>
    I want to prefix every one of the above lines with a # so that the lines look like this.
    Code:
    #    <IfModule mod_userdir.c>
    #        <Directory /home/*/public_html>
    #            php_admin_value engine Off
    #        </Directory>
    #    </IfModule>
    Does anyone know how I could do this?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
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    NYC, NY, USA
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    Kubuntu 15.10 Wily Werewolf

    Re: Commenting out lines in a file using a bash script.

    Any plain text editor, vi, emacs for command line or gedit or kate for gnome or KDE, will do the job. Just remember to make sure you have permission. For example, sudo vi <path/file> or sudo gedit <path/file>. It is a good idea to save a copy of the file: cp <file> <file.copy> before attempting any editing.
    Andrew

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
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    54

    Re: Commenting out lines in a file using a bash script.

    I know I could do this using any text editor.
    But I was looking for a scripted way to do this.
    What I need to do is identify the lines in the file, and then comment them out.

    I originally thought of using sed, but I couldn't figure out how to get sed to do this.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx

    Re: Commenting out lines in a file using a bash script.

    a simple way of using sed would be
    Code:
    sed "s/pattern/#pattern/" < $infile
    heres a simple script using sed. the first argument is the input file name, all others are patterns to be commented.
    Code:
    #!/bin/bash
    infile=$1
    shift
    while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
        pattern=$1
        shift
        sed "s/$pattern/#$pattern/" < $infile
    done
    Unfortunately, it doesn't place the # at the beginning of the line, but right before the pattern. But maybe its a start.

    Awk might work better, but i've never used it.

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx

    Re: Commenting out lines in a file using a bash script.

    Heres a ruby script that comments lines by regular expression or line numbers.
    Code:
    #!/usr/bin/env ruby
    
    def usage
        puts <<EOS
    Usage: #{__FILE__} [options] infile pattern1 [pattern2 ...]
    
      -r  --regexp                comment all lines matchinp patterns (default)
      -n  --numbers               comment by line numbers instead of patterns
      -c  --comment-mark <MARK>   use <MARK> to comment (default=`#')
      -f  --file                  input file (default is first arg)
      -h  --help                  this help
    EOS
    end
    
    
    $comment_mark = "#"
    $by_number = false
    $by_regexp = true
    $input_file = nil
    
    while ARGV.any?
        case arg = ARGV.shift
        when "-r", "--regexp"
            $by_number = false
            $by_regexp = true
        when "-n", "--numbers"
            $by_number = true
            $by_regexp = false
        when "-c", "--comment-mark", "--mark"
            $comment_mark = ARGV.shift
        when "-f", "--file"
            $input_file = ARGV.shift
        when "-h", "--help"
            usage
            exit 0
        else
            if $input_file
                ARGV.unshift arg
            else
                $input_file = arg
            end
            break
        end
    end
    
    unless $input_file
        STDERR.write "no input file given\n"
        exit 1
    end
    
    line_num = 0
    File.open($input_file, 'r').each_line do |line|
        line_num += 1
        ARGV.each do |pattern|
            if $by_number
                number = pattern.to_i
                if number == 0
                    STDERR.write "invalid line number: `#{pattern}'\n"
                    exit 1
                end
                if line_num == number
                    line = $comment_mark + line
                end
            elsif $by_regexp
                if Regexp.new(pattern) =~ line
                    line = $comment_mark + line
                end
            end
        end
        puts line
    end

  6. #6
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    Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat

    Re: Commenting out lines in a file using a bash script.

    using sed:
    Code:
    sed '/<IfModule mod_userdir.c>/,/<\/IfModule>/s/^/#/'  somefile
    add the -i flag to make the changes in-place to the file when you've confirmed the results are as you expected.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
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    54

    Re: Commenting out lines in a file using a bash script.

    Thanks DaithiF.
    That works beautifully.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Beans
    8
    Distro
    Kubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon

    Re: Commenting out lines in a file using a bash script.

    great script, only missing an in-place option ...


    Quote Originally Posted by AdotB View Post
    Heres a ruby script that comments lines by regular expression or line numbers.
    Code:
    #!/usr/bin/env ruby
    
    def usage
        puts <<EOS
    Usage: #{__FILE__} [options] infile pattern1 [pattern2 ...]
    
      -r  --regexp                comment all lines matchinp patterns (default)
      -n  --numbers               comment by line numbers instead of patterns
      -c  --comment-mark <MARK>   use <MARK> to comment (default=`#')
      -f  --file                  input file (default is first arg)
      -h  --help                  this help
    EOS
    end
    
    
    $comment_mark = "#"
    $by_number = false
    $by_regexp = true
    $input_file = nil
    
    while ARGV.any?
        case arg = ARGV.shift
        when "-r", "--regexp"
            $by_number = false
            $by_regexp = true
        when "-n", "--numbers"
            $by_number = true
            $by_regexp = false
        when "-c", "--comment-mark", "--mark"
            $comment_mark = ARGV.shift
        when "-f", "--file"
            $input_file = ARGV.shift
        when "-h", "--help"
            usage
            exit 0
        else
            if $input_file
                ARGV.unshift arg
            else
                $input_file = arg
            end
            break
        end
    end
    
    unless $input_file
        STDERR.write "no input file given\n"
        exit 1
    end
    
    line_num = 0
    File.open($input_file, 'r').each_line do |line|
        line_num += 1
        ARGV.each do |pattern|
            if $by_number
                number = pattern.to_i
                if number == 0
                    STDERR.write "invalid line number: `#{pattern}'\n"
                    exit 1
                end
                if line_num == number
                    line = $comment_mark + line
                end
            elsif $by_regexp
                if Regexp.new(pattern) =~ line
                    line = $comment_mark + line
                end
            end
        end
        puts line
    end

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Romania
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    Hidden!

    Re: Commenting out lines in a file using a bash script.

    RIP, old thread.


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