How to remove the first character on a string in a variable

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

Hi all,

Does anyone know how to code in ksh that will remove the first character in a string variable and replace that variable without the first character?

Example:

var1=ktest1 will become var1=test1
var2=rtest2 will become var2=test2

Need help please.

2 
var1=${var1#?}
3

or

var1=${var1:1}
4

frans solution only works in ksh93, alisters also in ksh88

5

# echo "ktest1" | sed "s/^.\(.*\)/\1/"
test1

6 
[root@sistem1lnx passwd]# cat delfirstchar
#!/bin/bash
echo "$*"|grep -o ^. > file
n=0
while read cr;
do
 if [ $n -gt 0 ] ; then
  crx+=$cr
  sleep 1
 else
  let n+=1
  continue
 fi
done < file
 echo $crx

[root@sistem1lnx passwd]# ./delfirstchar ktest1 && ./delfirstchar rtest2
test1
test2
7

Try This:

echo "var1=ktest1" | awk -F'=' '{print substr($2,2)}'

---------- Post updated at 06:35 AM ---------- Previous update was at 06:01 AM ----------

Try this:

echo "var1=ktest1" | awk -F'=' '{print substr($2,2)}'
8

hergp -
alister's answer works for POSIX-compliant shells - i.e., most modern shells - among them are ksh, zsh, and bash

Check out The Open Group - Making Standards Work
See section 2.6.2 Parameter Expansion under 'The Shell Command Language'
Any shell that meets all the requirements listed by opengroup.org is consider POSIX-compliant.

9

You are right, Jim! Guess I am to much of a ksh-o-holic :wink:

10

Or this, works only in ksh93, bash, zsh, not in dash or ksh88.

var="${var/?/}"    # replace first some char with nothing
11 
 
var1=` echo $var1 | awk '{print substr($1,2)}'`