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Replacing text with another text in a certain directory recursively using a bash script

Greetings,

I want a shell script that can replace a text with another text for special file types (*.html, for an instance) in a certain directory recursivle. The modified file has of course to be in the same location of the original file.

Thanks,
Hossam

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

ahoffmann

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mBf

ASKER

Works.
Suppose that I want to change www.domain1.com to www.domain2.com..
Would it be: find /root/test -type f -name \*.html|xargs perl -i.bak -pe 's/www.domain1.com/www.domain2.com/g' without any escape characters?

Cheers,
Hossam

mBf

ASKER

Also, instead of "." should I enter the directory name as "/directory/path/" or "/directory/path/."?

ahoffmann

find /root/test -type f -name \*.html|xargs perl -i.bak -pe 's/www\.domain1\.com/www.domain2.com/g'
# more perfect

mBf

ASKER

When I test this script it works well, but when I use it in a real life situation it does not modify the files nor produce .bak ones. Very weird!

Any suggestions?

ahoffmann

sounds like your real life data does not match your test requirements :-))
you have to change one of them ..

mBf

ASKER

Got it.. For some reason this command does not follow symlinks.
Thanks, ahoffmann and much appreciated

--Hossam

ahoffmann

for symlinks you have to check find's docs, symlinks, mount points and -prune are the dragons to beat on each platform :-(

mBf

ASKER

Maybe on my vacation ;)