bash regular expressions

[Lorenzo Taylor]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Ned's comments on bash regular expressions were as follows:
# I wrote a bash script and all but the two commands below were marked wrong, so I need to correct them. Hope you don't mind pointing out my mistakes:

Well, I'll see what I can do.  Here goes nothing! <smile>

# 1. needs to output how many lines are there with a . (period) in them. I used the escape char \ before the period, but it apparently didn't work.
# 
# echo Output the number of lines that have a \"\.\" \(period\):
# grep -c \. ./test.file

Try:

echo Output the number of lines that have a \".\" \(period\):
grep -c [.] ./test.file

I can't explain it, but somehow it only works that way.  Escaping the period
doesn't help.  It must be specified in a range by itself.

# 2. this one needs to output the number of lines containing the string '/*':
# 
# echo Output the number of lines that have the string \"'/'\*\":
# grep -c /\* ./test.file

Try this instead:

echo Output the number of lines that have the string '"/*"':
grep -c [/][*] ./test.file

Again, each character seems as though it must be enclosed in range brackets by
itself.  Not exactly sure why without further digging in manpages for grep(1) and
regex(3), which is something I may do in the future if the mood hits me, but as
long as this works, I just don't feel like it right now. <smile>

HTH,
Lorenzo
- -- 
"We decided that we should evaluate the Microsoft offerings first. Once we
realised what a powerful set of tools they were, it became self-evident this was
the right way to go down."

Microsoft: the right way to go down
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.0 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQFCUcevG9IpekrhBfIRAs1uAJ9/qfMLcyIuzP19Tx8I5HlIbEC/VACeJHod
RaMPPXLUHrKsBmDFYk2f2p4=
=R6qv
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----