bash; editting config files and replacing lines

jamescondron · 01-07-2009, 04:56 PM

My problem is in a script which i'm writing to help a total novice set up fluxbox etc. Basically, someone buys an eeepc, hoses an eeepc, needs help rebuilding.. after 2 days over the phone I decide a script is easier.

Now, the fluxbox config/init file contains the startup files and ends with

Code:

exec startfluxbox

This means everything needs to be prior to the 'exec' statement. My initial idea was just to use

Code:

value=$((`cat $fluxbox-config|wc -l`-1))
sed '$value i\hello' $fluxbox-config

but obviously this wont work. Is there a way of using a sort of

Code:

 sed '-1i\hello' $fluxbox-config

to do the second to last line?

or is my best best bet to stick a bit of python or perl in there?

jamescondron · 01-07-2009, 06:17 PM

never mind, I cheated and just used a hackish way of doing it

Code:

fluxboxconfig=/home/$USERNAME/.fluxbox/startup
value=$((`cat $fluxboxconfig|wc -l`-1))
top=`head -$value $fluxboxconfig`
echo $top "idesk&" `tail -1 $fluxboxconfig` > $fluxboxconfig