Truncate filename using find

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

I have a script that executes the following code and I could use some help.

find $searchdir -maxdepth 2 -type d -name $dir -exec mkalias {} ./$dir/_$dir$suffix \;

(mkalias is an executable to create mac aliases)
(The script takes a directory name finds that same name on another drive and creates a mac alias to it inside the named directory and adds a _ to the beginning and .Link to the end.)

The problem I'm having is that the filenames created by mkalias are whacky.
Like this:

_XXX_004_010_Laptop#C93202.Link

It should read:

XXX_004_010_Laptop_Over_O_First_Look.Link

So rather than try to figure that out I think I'd rather truncate the file name at the first 11 characters so it creates:

_XXX_004_010.Link

Is there something I can add so that only the first 11 characters are used?

2

The first thing I'd do is make it echo mkalias instead of mkalias to make sure you're feeding the command what you think you are...

3

Please post what Operating System and version you have and what Shell you prefer.

When posting script samples with unexplained variable names, please post the values of those variables. In this case $searchdir , $dir and $suffix.

If you are using a non-industry-standard term like "mac alias", please explain briefly what the term means.

# Diagnostic version of the code
echo "The value of searchdir is: ${searchdir}"
echo "The value of dir is: ${dir}"
echo "The value suffix is: ${suffix}"
find "${searchdir}" -maxdepth 2 -type d -name "${dir}" -print | while read dirname
do
            echo "Generated command is: mkalias ${dirname} ./${dir}/_${dir}${suffix}"
done
4

I'm using OSX 10.6.8

It's a c shell but I think bash would be better.
Mac alias is the alias files created by the OSX's finder. OsxUtils' mkalias is how I create the aliases through a command line.
sveinbjorn.org/osxutils_docs

Here's the script:

#!/bin/csh -f

if ($#argv == 0) then
echo "Renders Alias Maker"   

echo "    Usage: ram <filename>"
	echo "Renders Alias Maker"
  exit
endif

### Set input directory from command line:
set dir = $1:r

### Set search directory:
set searchdir = /Volumes/SHOWS/SAV/01_Shots/

set suffix = .Link

### Execute script:
### Original working code:
### find $searchdir -maxdepth 2 -type d -name $dir -exec mkalias {} ./$dir/_$dir$suffix \;

### NEW CODE:
find $searchdir -maxdepth 2 -type d -name $dir -exec mkalias {} ./$dir/_$dir$suffix \;
5

Because this is "csh" on a MAC, I cannot help.
The link to a 2005 explanation of the utility is:
osxutils Documentation | Sveinbjorn Thordarson

6

Here's the code for mkalias:

#!/bin/sh

scriptname=`basename $0`
if [ $# -lt 2 ]; then
    echo "Usage: $scriptname srcPath destPath"
    exit
fi

srcPath=$1
destPath=$2

if [ ! -e "${srcPath}" ]; then
    echo "$scriptname: '${srcPath}': No such file or directory"
    exit
fi

# remove possible trailing slash from $srcPath
srcPath="${srcPath%/}"

# set $srcType to "file" or "folder" as appropriate
if [ -d "${srcPath}" ]; then
    if [ "${srcPath##*.}" == "app" ]; then
        srcType="file"
    else
        srcType="folder"
    fi
else
    srcType="file"
fi

if [ ! -d "${destPath}" ]; then
    echo "$scriptname: '${destPath}': No such directory"
    exit
fi

case "${srcPath}" in
/*) fullSrcPath="${srcPath}" ;;
~*) fullSrcPath="${srcPath}" ;;
*)  fullSrcPath=`pwd`/"${srcPath}" ;;
esac

case "${destPath}" in
/*) fullDestPath="${destPath}" ;;
~*) fullDestPath="${destPath}" ;;
*)  fullDestPath=`pwd`/"${destPath}" ;;
esac

/usr/bin/osascript > /dev/null <<EOT
tell application "Finder"
    set macSrcPath to POSIX file "$fullSrcPath" as text
    set macDestPath to POSIX file "$fullDestPath" as text
    make new alias file to $srcType macSrcPath at folder macDestPath
end tell
EOT