Hi...thanks to read. In a textfile that contains lets say the following:

D:\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 01.JPG
D:\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 02.JPG
D:\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 03.JPG

It is possible by using a batch file to change each line to to the folowing:

D_\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 01.JPG
D_\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 02.JPG
D_\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 03.JPG

I can do it manually (dit it with Wordpad) but i would like to automate the
process if possible. Maybe i need an external application, maybe not...? In
fact the text file i wish to modify automatically, contains thousands of
lines like those, weighting a little more than 700KB. I've joined three
lines for simplicity. ;-) If you ask why i need such modifications, the
textfile would be used as a listfile by Rar.exe to extract only the backed
files in the archive that match the ones in this listfile. Since filenames
can't contain the : character, Rar packs the files with _ instead of : when
choosing to include full patch including drive letter during archiving
operation.

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"KILOWATT" wrote in message
If you have a lot of string substitution to do, try SED (the Stream
Editor). This is a command-line tool that replaces text using
regular expressions if needed (not needed in your example).

This screen capture shows SED syntax to make the substitution
in your example:

============Screen capture Windows 95
C:\WORK>type input.txt
D:\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 01.JPG
D:\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 02.JPG
D:\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 03.JPG

C:\WORK>sed s/:/_/g input.txt>OUTPUT.TXT

C:\WORK>type output.txt
D_\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 01.JPG
D_\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 02.JPG
D_\Images\PHOTOS\light trailing 03.JPG

C:\WORK>
============End screen capture

SED syntax and capability varies with version. You can download
the exact version of SED I used for the above from our Usual Suspects
page (go to the third-party utilities section):
http://www.allenware.com/mcsw/bus.htm#ThirdParty

Place the SED.EXE executable from the unzipped package in a folder
in your system path, say in: C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND for Windows 95/98/ME.

SED command lines can be used in Batch files.

--
William Allen
Free interactive Batch Course http://www.allenware.com/icsw/icswidx.htm
Batch Reference with examples http://www.allenware.com/icsw/icswref.htm
Header email is rarely checked. Contact us at http://www.allenware.com/

On Thu, 7 Jul 2005 21:47:48 -0400, "KILOWATT"
<kilowatt"nospam"@softhome.net> wrote:

Gsar is a general search and replace utility - the Win32 version is a
port of the standard Unix tool. Free and open source from
<http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/gsar.htm>.


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T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu)
SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D."
somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected.

Hi...thanks to both of you for your replies.
I'm studying now SED. I did a quick search about the program capabilities
and among what i've read,i found the following on this site:
http://www.student.northpark.edu/pemente/sed/
"GNU sed 3.02.80, sed 3.02, sed 2.05, sed 1.18 - These are older versions of
GNU sed are considered buggy and have superseded by v4.0.7". Then i asked
myself if it exist also a version newer than 4.0.7 ? Found version 4.1.4 at
his ftp:
ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/current/v2gnu/
Program itself, documentation and sourcecode for it,is also there.

Thanks again... i'll post back when i get acquainted with SED. ;-)

JRS: In article <9Xkze.10244$Ud.1151316@news20.bellglobal.com>, dated
Thu, 7 Jul 2005 21:47:48, seen in news:alt.msdos.batch, KILOWATT
<kilowatt@?.net> posted :


type infile.dat | SUBS ':='_ > outfile.dat

SUBS via sig line 3; SUBS.ZIP < 5 kB.


Or


type infile.dat | COLS 1 '_ 2- > outfile.dat

COLS via aig line 3; COLS.ZIP < 11 kB.



You could process the file with SED; but MiniTrue is nicer : I find
MiniTrue useful for viewing/searching/altering files, at a DOS prompt;
free, DOS/Win/UNIX, <URL:http://www.idiotsdelight.net/minitrue/> ir
Garbo.



You may be able to automate it, in WordPad or Word, with a Windows macro
or keypress recording.

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