sed replace exact match

Question

I want to change some names in a file using sed. This is how the file looks like:

#! /bin/bash

SAMPLE=\"sample_name\"
FULLSAMPLE=\"full_sample_name\"

...


        

Answer 1

I believe \< and \> work with gnu sed, you just need to quote the sed command:

sed -i.bak 's/\<sample_name\>/sample_01/g' file

Answer 2

In GNU sed, the following command works:

sed 's/\<sample_name\>/sample_01/' file

The only difference here is that I've enclosed the command in single quotes. Even when it is not necessary to quote a sed command, I see very little disadvantage to doing so (and it helps avoid these kinds of problems).

Another way of achieving what you want more portably is by adding the quotes to the pattern and replacement:

sed 's/"sample_name"/"sample_01"/' script.sh

Alternatively, the syntax you have proposed also works in GNU awk:

awk '{sub(/\<sample_name\>/, "sample_01")}1' file

If you want to use a variable in the replacement string, you will have to use double quotes instead of single, for example:

sed "s/\<sample_name\>/$var/" file

Variables are not expanded within single quotes, which is why you are getting the the name of your variable rather than its contents.

Answer 3

@user1987607

You can do this the following way:

sed s/"sample_name">/sample_01/g

where having "sample_name" in quotes " " matches the exact string value.

/g is for global replacement.

If "sample_name" occurs like this ifsample_name and you want to replace that as well then you should use the following:

sed s/"sample_name ">/"sample_01 "/g

So that it replaces only the desired word. For example the above syntax will replace word "the" from a text file and not from words like thereby.

If you are interested in replacing only first occurence, then this would work fine

sed s/"sample_name"/sample_01/

Hope it helps