script string question

MadCactus · 08-14-2004, 08:36 AM

How would I take a filename string e.g. "/etc/mtab"

and change it so it could be used as an argument to gawk, since gawk doesn't accept forward slashes as the pattern?

I just need to insert backslashes so it would be: "\/etc\/mtab".

I'm using the bash shell.

david_ross · 08-14-2004, 09:07 AM

Something like this?
echo /etc/mtab | sed 's/\//\\\//g

MadCactus · 08-14-2004, 11:53 AM

Can that only be done from a script, as it doesn't seem to wrok on the command line?

david_ross · 08-14-2004, 03:28 PM

Sorry - my mistake. I left a ' off the end - try:
echo /etc/mtab | sed 's/\//\\\//g'

MadCactus · 08-14-2004, 04:44 PM

I feel my time as a Linux newbie has just expired, I fear no command now (except rm -rf of course). I won't bother to ask what it actually means.

Thanks.