How to extract substring in Bash

Bash provides several methods to extract substrings from strings. Here are a few commonly used methods:

  1. Using parameter expansion:

    • Syntax: ${string:offset:length}
    • offset is the starting position of the substring (0-based)
    • length is the length of the substring
    • Example:
       
      string="Hello, world!"
      echo "${string:7:5}"
      Output: world
  2. Using the cut command:

    • Syntax: cut -c start-end
    • start is the starting position of the substring (1-based)
    • end is the ending position of the substring (1-based)
    • Example:
       
      string="Hello, world!"
      echo "$string" | cut -c8-12
      Output: world
  3. Using the sed command:

    • Syntax: sed -n start,endp
    • start is the starting line of the substring (1-based)
    • end is the ending line of the substring (1-based)
    • Example:
       
      string="Hello, world!"
      echo "$string" | sed -n '8,12p'
      Output: world

Note: The examples provided here are for demonstration purposes only. You may need to adjust the parameters, such as offset, length, start, and end, to match your specific requirements.

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