[SOLVED] How to add text to a file's first and last line without using vi

infinite_scale · 02-27-2012, 01:51 PM

Hi,

We all know one can add text to a file by opening it in vi.

But is it also possible to add/append text to a file's, let's say, first and second line but without using vi i.e. directly through commands?

T3RM1NVT0R · 02-27-2012, 02:29 PM

Hi infinite_scale,

This is the command I can think of for appending text to first and last line of a file. Ofcourse you can use script to make it better but this is the simplest way I could think to achieve what you have mentioned

Code:

cat testing > newfile && echo "This is first line" > testing && cat newfile >> testing && echo "This is the last line" >> testing

This is how it works. I have got a file name testing which contains say 100 lines. What this command will do it will first copy all those lines in a newfile. Then it will insert a text using echo command say "This is the first line". Then it will append the text which is there in newfile back to testing file. At the end using echo you will put the text "This is the last line"

infinite_scale · 02-28-2012, 12:23 AM

Thanks Terminator!

So simple commands can be used together to accomplish different tasks...

Thanks a lot!!

firstfire · 03-02-2012, 08:10 AM

Hi.

Using ed:

Code:

$ echo -e '0a\nfirst line\n.\n$a\nlast line\n.\nw' | ed file.txt

Using sed:

Code:

$ sed '1s/^/first line\n/; $alast line' file.txt

Add `-i' if you want to save changes in 'file.txt'.

Or simply

Code:

$ echo first line; cat file.txt; echo last line > file.txt.new