Technology Tales

Adventures in consumer and enterprise technology

TOPIC: SHORT CODE

String replacement in BASH scripting

28th April 2023

During creation of new posts for a Hugo deployed website, I found myself using the same directories again and again. Since I invariably ended up making typing mistakes when I did so, I fancied the idea of using shortcodes instead.

Because I wanted to turn the shortcode into the actual directory name, I chose the use of text replacement in BASH scripting. Thankfully, this is simple and avoids the use of regular expressions, which can bring their own problems. The essential syntax is as follows:

variable="${variable/search text/replacement}"

For the variable, the search text is substituted with the replacement straightforwardly. It is even possible to include the search and replacement text in variables. In the example below, this is achieved using variables called original and replacement.

variable="${variable/$original/$replacement}"

Doing this got me my translatable shortcodes and converted them into actual directory names for the hugo command to process. There may be other uses yet.

  • The content, images, and materials on this website are protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, or published in any form without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. All trademarks, logos, and brand names mentioned on this website are the property of their respective owners. Unauthorised use or duplication of these materials may violate copyright, trademark and other applicable laws, and could result in criminal or civil penalties.

  • All comments on this website are moderated and should contribute meaningfully to the discussion. We welcome diverse viewpoints expressed respectfully, but reserve the right to remove any comments containing hate speech, profanity, personal attacks, spam, promotional content or other inappropriate material without notice. Please note that comment moderation may take up to 24 hours, and that repeatedly violating these guidelines may result in being banned from future participation.

  • By submitting a comment, you grant us the right to publish and edit it as needed, whilst retaining your ownership of the content. Your email address will never be published or shared, though it is required for moderation purposes.

Copyright © 2007-2025, TechnologyTales.com