function::str_replace - Linux

Overview

str_replace is a command-line utility designed to perform string replacement operations on text. It efficiently finds and replaces specified substrings with desired replacements within a given string or file. It is especially useful for text processing, data manipulation, and string transformations.

Syntax

function str_replace(string_to_search, substring_to_find, substring_to_replace_with)

• string_to_search: The input string or path to the file containing the string to be modified.
• substring_to_find: The substring that needs to be located and replaced.
• substring_to_replace_with: The replacement substring that will substitute the found substring.

Options/Flags

• -g/:global: Replace all occurrences of the substring instead of just the first occurrence.
• -i/:ignore_case: Perform case-insensitive search and replacement.
• -n: Do not perform the replacement, only display the changes that would be made.

Examples

• Simple Replacement:

  str_replace "Hello World" "World" "Universe"
  

  Output: Hello Universe

• Case-Insensitive Replacement with -i option:

  str_replace -i "TeSt" "s" "T"
  

  Output: TeTt

• Global Replacement with -g option:

  str_replace -g "123" "1" "4"
  

  Output: 424

Common Issues

• Ensuring correct escape sequences for special characters in replacement strings.
• Handling multi-line strings or file paths correctly.

Integration

str_replace can be integrated into shell scripts or combined with other commands:

replaced_string=$(str_replace "my_string" "old" "new")

Related Commands

• sed: Stream editor for performing complex text transformations.
• tr: Translate or delete characters in a string.
• grep: Search for patterns in text.