extracting a field from directory path ??????

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

Hi

I'll be getting a directory path as the input to the script.
E.g. 1 abc/fsg/sdfhgsa/fasgfsd/adfghad/XXX/fhsad
e.g. 2 sadfg/sadgjhgds/sd/dtuc/cghcx/dtyue/dfghsdd/XXX/qytq

This input will be stored in a variable.

My query is how to extract the field in a variable VAR which occurs just before XXX
Please note that XXX position is not fixed in the directory path.

Kindly provide the code.

Thanks and Best Regards

2

Let me get this straight. You want the third last entry in the path, right ?

3

Use awk (or similar tool) with / as a field separator and match the third pattern from the end.

4

No. i want the field just before XXX.

5

I want the field just before XXX wherever XXX is in the path. Position of XXX not fixed.

6

Oh. So XXX is not a placeholder but an actual text.

7

Is this a homework assignment?

8

I need it urgent. not a homework

9

The whole thing is a DIRECTORY path. XXX is a fixed folder name.

10 
sed -n -e "s+.*/\([^/]*\)/XXX.*+\1+p" input.txt
11

The whole directory path is in a variable. Not in a file. How can we modify the below?

Thanks

12 
var="/abc/fsg/sdfhgsa/fasgfsd/adfghad/XXX/fhsad"
echo $var |awk ' BEGIN{FS="/"}
                 {
                        for(i=1;i<=NF;i++){
                                if ($i == "XXX") {
                                        print $(i-1)
                                        next
                                }

                        }
                 }'
13

Thanks to all of you !!!!

14

YOUR MAKING IT TOO HARD. Use Korn/Bash built-in variable operators.
##
#EXPRESSION RESULT
#/home/david/waffen/long.file.name
#${path%%.} /home/david/waffen/long
#${path%.} /home/david/waffen/long.file
#${path} /home/david/waffen/long.file.name
#${path#//} /david/waffen/long.file.name
#${path##//} long.file.name
#${path##*/} long.file.name
###

PATH1=/A/B/C/D/XXX/E/F/G
PATH2=/A/B/C/XXX/E

echo "${PATH1%%/XXX/}"
echo "${PATH2%%/XXX/}"

OUTPUT:
$ echo "${PATH1%%/XXX/}"
/A/B/C/D
$ echo "${PATH2%%/XXX/}"
/A/B/C

-David

15

I think OP only wants D for PATH1, and C for PATH2. can you change that thanks.

16

PATH1=/A/B/C/D/XXX/E/F/G
PATH2=/A/B/C/XXX/E

# Chop everything from /XXX/ to end
VAR1=$(echo "${PATH1%%/XXX/}")
VAR2=$(echo "${PATH2%%/XXX/}")

# Chop leading path, similar to `basename` unix command
echo ${VAR1##/} # result is D
echo ${VAR2##/} # resule is C

Cheers -
David