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UGU: Unix Guru Universe - Unix Tip #4226- September  6, 2012
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 Unix Tip #4226- September  6, 2012
 
I SED BLANK  
  
Using sed, you can remove blank lines, and  
lines that contain only whitespace, from a  
file using the following:  
  
sed -e '/^[     ]*$/d' InputFile >OutputFile  
  
Within the single quotes ('), the forward  
slashes (/) delimit the regular expression  
that will be interpreted by sed.  The "d"  
before the closing single quote, tells sed  
to delete any lines that match the regular  
expression.  
  
Within the regular expression, the caret  
(^) matches the beginning of a line.  
The []* matches zero to many occurrences of  
the character list between the open bracket  
([) and the close bracket (]) (in the above  
regular expression, you must insert a space  
and a tab between the brackets).  The dollar  
sign ($) matches the end of a line.  
  
These three constructs together match any  
blank line or any line that contains only  
spaces and tabs (in any combination).  
  
Since the standard operation of sed is to  
echo lines to stdout, all lines except blank  
lines (or lines that only contain whitespace)  
will be sent to OutputFile.  
  
  
This tip generously supported by: tim.couger@wcom.com  
  
 NOTE: All tips provided are USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Tips are submitted
by various unix admins around the globe. UGU suggest you read and
test each tip in a non-volitile environment before placing into
production.
  
LAST 5 TIPS
 4225
 - FILES OPENED BY A PROCESS
 4224
 - BACKUP THE REMOTE ESSENTIALS
 4223
 - STRING REMOVAL
 4222
 - KILLING MORE USERS
 4221
 - BASH HOTKEYS
 
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