Find replace text in xml file on the fly

UNIX for Beginners Q & A
1

Dear Unix guru,

I have a .XML file which is being used to load data to oracle. This file comes on unix box and one of the tag in xml is oracle key word. I want to find that tag and replace with new tag on the fly
For example
I will get one of the tag in xml is as below

<from>Test Test 123</from>

since "from" is oracle key word i am having difficulties to read this so i want to replace this as below

<from_msg> Test Test 123</from_msg>

I also want to check various point like
<from > , < from > , < from>
i guess there can be space between tag and text.

I am not at all unix guy so can write any shell scripts, Any small scripts would really help me to keep moving

Thanks for the understanding

2

Is that space in front of "Test" in the desired output on purpose or is it a typo? You didn't say you want one in the written spec.

sed -r 's/< *from *>([^<]*)<\/ *from *>/<from_msg>\1<\/from_msg>/g' file
<from_msg>Test Test 123</from_msg>
3

Hi

I am checking for space just because typo ,so that job would not fail

Any suggestions

4

Hi All,

Can any body help me with the below error

 sed -r 's/< *from *>([^<]*)<\/ *from *>/<from_msg>\1<\/from_msg>/g' message.xml>output.xml

output

sed: illegal option -- r
5

That option is needed for sed to understand EREs; pls check if -E will do instead.

6

Hi

Not working

 sed -E's/< *from *>([^<]*)<\/ *from *>/<from_msg>\1<\/from_msg>/g' message.xml>output.xml
 

sed: illegal option -- E
7

Is there a space missing between -E and the ' or is that a typo?
Howsoever, try leaving out any option but escape the parentheses.

8

Hi

I omitted the option and ran the below command

 sed 's/< *from *>([^<]*)<\/ *from *>/<from_msg>\1<\/from_msg>/g' message.xml>output.xml

and the command is coming out with error

 sed: command garbled: s/< *from *>([^<]*)<\/ *from *>/<from_msg>\1<\/from_msg>/g
9

Did you read and fully understand my post?

10

Some basic thought, that comes to my mind:

Even if I know nothing about oracle, I wonder why the software should complain about any string content. It should only complain - in my view - if the data to load are somehow interpreted as (SQL-Code, so this may be an error of quoting. I do not see why a large db column with xml-encoded data should be something special which could and should not be imported.

11

Hi,

I tried running the command with space and without space and still getting same error
sed: illegal option -- E

 sed -E 's/< *from *>([^<]*)<\/ *from *>/<from_msg>\1<\/from_msg>/g' message.xml>output.xml
  
 sed -E's/< *from *>([^<]*)<\/ *from *>/<from_msg>\1<\/from_msg>/g' message.xml>output.xml

I am unsure which parenthesis you are referring to escape

12

Now, there are not too many parentheses in the command. Howsoever, try

sed  's/< *from *>\([^<]*\)<\/ *from *>/<from_msg>\1<\/from_msg>/g' file
<from_msg>Test Test 123</from_msg>
13

Hello RudiC

This has worked

thanks

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