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From: pfalstad@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Paul John Falstad)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell
Subject: Re: sed help
Message-ID: <4478@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 4 Dec 90 18:09:08 GMT
References: <99.2757f296@vax1.cc.lehigh.edu>
Sender: news@idunno.Princeton.EDU
Organization: Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
Lines: 16

In article <99.2757f296@vax1.cc.lehigh.edu> lubkt@vax1.cc.lehigh.edu writes:
>A question on sed:
>	I want to replace a string xyz:KJSDKJSDJS: by xyz:: in a
>password file. The string "KJSDKJSDJS" is arbitrary. So I try:
>	sed -e 's/xyz:\??:/xyz::' $passwd


Try:

sed '/^xyz:/s/:[^:]*:/::/' $passwd

--
From somewhere in front, you hear a repulsive squelching mumble, as if a
chattering orangutan has suddenly had its mouth crammed full of earthworms.
"You're invading my personal space!" shrieks the travel agent, rearing back
from you like an offended snake.  She is probably from California.