Bash split string

Question

I have the following data in array:

MY_ARR[0]="./path/path2/name.exe 'word1 word2' 'name1,name2'" 
MY_ARR[1]="./path/path2/name.exe 'word1 word2' 'name3,name4,name5'"
MY_ARR[2]=".name.exe 'word1 word2'"
MY_ARR[3]="name.exe"
MY_ARR[4]="./path/path2/name.exe 'word1 word2' 'name1'"
MY_ARR[5]="./path/path2/name.exe 'word1 word2' 'name.exe, name4.exe, name5.exe'"

I want to divide it into two variables: $file and $parameter.

Example:

file="./path/path2/name.exe"
parameter="'word1 word2' 'name1,name2'"

I can do it with awk:

parameter=$(echo "${MY_ARR[1]}" | awk -F\' '{print $2 $4}')
file=$(echo "${MY_ARR[1]}" | awk -F\' '{print $1}')

This needs to remove trailing spaces and looks to complicated.

Is there a better way to do it?

fedorqui · Accepted Answer · 2014-01-08 10:17:29Z

15

It looks like the separator between the fields is an space. Hence, you can use cut to split them:

file=$(echo "${MY_ARR[1]}" | cut -d' ' -f1)
parameter=$(echo "${MY_ARR[1]}" | cut -d' ' -f2-)

-f1 means the first parameter.
-f2- means everything from the second parameter.

edited Jan 8, 2014 at 10:17

answered Jan 31, 2013 at 15:25

fedorqui

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idobr Over a year ago

yes, I know about cut. I used it with my first try. I refused to use it because I was afraid to miss the third and fouth fieleds if the are spaces... Need to check!

Thor · Accepted Answer · 2013-01-31 15:38:17Z

5

You can use read:

$ read file parameter <<< ${MY_ARR[1]}
$ echo "$file"
./path/path2/name.exe
$ echo "$parameter"
'word1 word2' 'name3,name4,name5'

edited Jan 31, 2013 at 15:38

answered Jan 31, 2013 at 15:26

Thor

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chepner Over a year ago

This is the better solution, as it doesn't require multiple new processes to accomplish the task (one for the command substitution, two for either side of the pipeline).

amukhachov · Accepted Answer · 2013-09-17 15:30:41Z

Given this array:

    MY_ARR[0]="./path/path2/name.exe 'word1 word2' 'name1,name2'"
    MY_ARR[1]="./path/path2/name.exe 'word1 word2' 'name3,name4,name5'"
    MY_ARR[2]=".name.exe             'word1 word2'"
    MY_ARR[3]="name.exe"
    MY_ARR[4]="./path/path2/name.exe 'word1 word2' 'name1'"
    MY_ARR[5]="./path/path2/name.exe 'word1 word2' 'name.exe, name4.exe, name5.exe'"

Lets make 2 new arrays MY_FILES and MY_PARAMETERS

    for  MY_ARR_INDEX in  ${!MY_ARR[*]}  ;  do

         ######
         # Set the current file in new array.

              MY_FILES[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ]=${MY_ARR[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ]// *}

         ######
         # Set the current parameters in new array

         MY_PARAMETERS[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ]=${MY_ARR[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ]#* }

         ######
         # Show the user whats happening
         # (from here until done is just printing info.)

         printf "MY_FILES[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ]=\"%s\"  ;  MY_PARAMETERS[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ]=\"%s\"\n" \
         \
          "${MY_ARR[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ]// *}"  "${MY_ARR[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ]#* }"

    done


    MY_FILES[ 0 ]="./path/path2/name.exe"  ;  MY_PARAMETERS[ 0 ]="'word1 word2' 'name1,name2'"
    MY_FILES[ 1 ]="./path/path2/name.exe"  ;  MY_PARAMETERS[ 1 ]="'word1 word2' 'name3,name4,name5'"
    MY_FILES[ 2 ]=".name.exe"  ;  MY_PARAMETERS[ 2 ]="            'word1 word2'"
    MY_FILES[ 3 ]="name.exe"  ;  MY_PARAMETERS[ 3 ]="name.exe"
    MY_FILES[ 4 ]="./path/path2/name.exe"  ;  MY_PARAMETERS[ 4 ]="'word1 word2' 'name1'"
    MY_FILES[ 5 ]="./path/path2/name.exe"  ;  MY_PARAMETERS[ 5 ]="'word1 word2' 'name.exe, name4.exe, name5.exe'"

How to access each file:

    for  MY_ARR_INDEX in  ${!MY_FILES[*]}  ;  do

         CUR_FILE=${MY_FILES[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ] }

         echo "# Do something with this file: ${CUR_FILE}"

    done

Output:

    Do something with this file: ./path/path2/name.exe
    Do something with this file: ./path/path2/name.exe
    Do something with this file: .name.exe
    Do something with this file: name.exe
    Do something with this file: ./path/path2/name.exe
    Do something with this file: ./path/path2/name.exe

How to access each parameter :

    for  MY_ARR_INDEX in  ${!MY_PARAMETERS[*]}  ;  do

         CUR_FILE=${MY_FILES[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ]}

         echo "# Do something with this parameter: ${CUR_FILE}"

    done

Output:

    Do something with this parameter: ./path/path2/name.exe
    Do something with this parameter: ./path/path2/name.exe
    Do something with this parameter: .name.exe
    Do something with this parameter: name.exe
    Do something with this parameter: ./path/path2/name.exe
    Do something with this parameter: ./path/path2/name.exe

Since ${!MY_FILES[ [*]} results in the index NUMBERS of array MY_FILES you can also use the same index numbers to access the other arrays.In this way, you may access multiple columns of data in the same loop. Like so:

    ################
    #
    # Print each file and matching parameter(s)
    #
    ################

    # Set a printf format string so we can print all things nicely.

    MY_PRINTF_FORMAT="#  %25s  %s\n"

    ################
    #
    # Print the column headings and use index numbers
    #
    #        to print adjacent array elements.
    #
    ################
    (

            printf   "${MY_PRINTF_FORMAT}"  "FILE" "PARAMETERS"    "----" "----------"

        for  MY_ARR_INDEX in  ${!MY_FILES[*]}  ;  do

             printf  "${MY_PRINTF_FORMAT}"  "${MY_FILES[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ]}"  "${MY_PARAMETERS[ ${MY_ARR_INDEX} ]}"

        done
    )

Output :

                           FILE  PARAMETERS
                           ----  ----------
          ./path/path2/name.exe  'word1 word2' 'name1,name2'
          ./path/path2/name.exe  'word1 word2' 'name3,name4,name5'
                      .name.exe              'word1 word2'
                       name.exe  name.exe
          ./path/path2/name.exe  'word1 word2' 'name1'
          ./path/path2/name.exe  'word1 word2' 'name.exe, name4.exe, name5.exe'

Reinstate Monica Please · Accepted Answer · 2014-01-31 11:21:46Z

1

Unless I'm missing something, simplest and most portable way would be to just use two variations of bash expansion for this.

file="${MY_ARR[0]%%' '*}"
parameter="${MY_ARR[0]#*' '}"

Explanation

"${MY_ARR[0]%%' '*}" - This removes the first space and anything after it, and returns remaining part
"${MY_ARR[0]#*' '}" - This removes everything up to the first space, and returns the remaining part

For a more detailed explanation, see the Parameter Expansion section of the bash man page

answered Jan 31, 2014 at 11:21

Reinstate Monica Please

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