How to use the replace command in Ubuntu Linux with examples

This brief tutorial shows students and new users how to use the replace command on Ubuntu Linux with examples.

The replace command in Ubuntu Linux makes changes or replaces text strings in files or standard input. It is useful when you want to replace a certain text string in a file or a group of files with a different string.

It can be used to perform batch replacement of text strings in multiple files simultaneously. The command is primarily used with msql2mysql, although you can use it to manipulate other files and standard input.

Overall, the replace command is a useful tool for Linux users who need to modify text strings in files quickly and efficiently.

When you’re ready to learn how to use the replace commands, follow the guide below:

About the replace command:

The replace command in Linux changes text strings in files or the standard input.

It looks for all occurrences of string or text from and replaces it with string or text to.

The replace command is primarily used with msql2mysql, although you can use it to manipulate other files and standard input. It requires a MariaDB server in Linux.

Syntax:

The syntax is the rule and format of how the to replace command can be used. These syntax options can be reordered, but a straight format must be followed.

Below is an example syntax of how to use the replace command.

replace [-?svIV] from to from to … -- [files]

Another way to use the replace command

replace [-?svIV] from to from to . < fromfile > tofile

Options:

The command line options are switches or flags that determine how the commands are executed or controlled. They modify the behavior of the commands and are separated by spaces, followed by the commands.

Below are some options for the replace command:

tofile.	Replace tofile.. with the name of the new output file.
-?, or -I	Use the -? or -I to display a help message and exit.
-s	Use the -s for silent mode.
-v	Use the -s to sisplay version information and exit.

Examples:

Below are examples of how to run and use the replacement on Ubuntu Linux.

Simply run the replace command to invoke it.

If you run the replace command but don’t specify an option, it will fail to execute.

replace

If you want to replace all occurrences of private with the word public in a file called document.txt, run the commands below:

replace "private" "public" -- document.txt

When you run replace with the -? or -I option, you’ll see the help text below:

A from-string can contain these special characters:
  \^      Match start of line.
  \$      Match end of line.
  \b      Match space-character, start of line or end of line.
          For a end \b the next replace starts locking at the end
          space-character. A \b alone in a string matches only a
          space-character.

Usage: replace [-?svIV] from to from to . -- [files]
or
Usage: replace [-?svIV] from to from to . < fromfile > tofile

Options: -? or -I "Info"  -s "silent"      -v "verbose"

That’s it!

Conclusion:

This post showed you how to use the replace command in Ubuntu Linux. If you find any error above, please use the form below to comment.