generate barcode in asp.net c# More Text Tools in Java

Painting Code 3/9 in Java More Text Tools

BASH is an incredibly capable tool when it comes to text manipulation, and some of its toolset offers modest word-processing like functionality. It s no wonder that some people live their lives working at the BASH prompt and have no need of sophisticated GUI tools! Table 15-4 lists some more text-processing tools that you can use on the command line. Along with the commands are listed any command options needed to make them work in a useful way. Some commands rely on redirection and piping, which are explained in depth in 17.

Note Most text-processing tools under BASH were created for programmers, so some options might seem

a little odd when you read the man pages. However, all the tools all extremely flexible and offer functions for every kind of user.

Any questionable words within filename are highlighted, and a choice of replacements is offered, rather like a standard word processor s spell check. Press X if you wish to exit after spell-checking starts. Looks up word in the dictionary; if the word is displayed in output, the word has been found. If not, then the word hasn t been found. Note that this command returns loose matches searching for test, for example, will return every word beginning with test (testing, testimony, testosterone, and so forth). Outputs the number of words in filename. Used without the w command switch, wc outputs the number of lines, followed by the word count, followed by the number of bytes in the file. Creates newfile, removing breaks at the end of lines in filename. Doubleline breaks between paragraphs aren t affected. Adding the u command switch removes instances of double spaces too. Creates newfile from filename but removes duplicate lines. Creates file3 by joining file1 and file2 side-by-side (effectively creating two columns of text). Each line is separated by a tab. Creates newfile from filename, wrapping lines at the specified 20 characters (increase/decrease this value for shorter/longer lines). Note that the s switch ensures lines don t break across words, even if this means exceeding the specified character count. Creates newfile from filename, adding line numbers to the beginning of each line. Creates file2 from file1, sorting its contents alphanumerically (technically, it sorts according to ASCII, so some symbols appear above numbers). For obvious reasons, this command works best on lists.

Summary

In this chapter, we examined how text files can be manipulated. In many ways, the BASH shell is built around manipulating text, and we explored various tools created with this goal in mind. We started with the commands that can display text files (or part of them). We then looked at how the vim text editor can be used to both edit and create documents. Next, we explored how regexes can be used with the grep command to create sophisticated search strings, which can uncover any text within documents. Finally, you saw how to compare text files. In the next chapter, we ll look at how you can use various command-line tools to take control of your system.

y now, you should be starting to realize that the shell offers an enormous amount of power when it comes to administering your PC. The BASH shell commands give you quick and efficient control over most aspects of your Linux setup. However, the shell truly excels in one area: controlling the processes on your system. Controlling processes is essential for administration of your system. You can tidy up crashed programs, for example, or even alter the priority of a program so that it runs with a little more consideration for other programs. Unlike with Windows, this degree of control is not considered out of bounds. This is just one more example of how Linux provides complete access to its inner workings and puts you in control. Without further ado, let s take a look at what can be done.