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I'm trying to script a change to my apache config file (httpd.conf). I'm trying to match the following string:

# # DirectoryIndex: sets the file that Apache will serve if a directory

And PREPEND the following text:

# # Allow server status reports generated by mod_status, # with the URL of http://servername/server-status # Change the ".example.com" to match your domain to enable. # <Location /server-status> SetHandler server-status Order deny,allow Deny from all Allow from localhost ip6-localhost 127.0.0.1 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0 </Location>

My understanding is that sed doesn't support multiple line matches, awk seems difficult to do multiple line matches. I'm trying to get perl to work with perl -0777 -pi -e but I can't seem to figure out a regular expression that matches the original pattern.

I'd prefer to do this as a one liner - not a script because i want it to be portable (i.e. copy and paste as needed).

Any perl regex experts out there that can help me devise a solution?

Many thanks in advance Brad

EDIT

The following works:

 sed -i -e ':begin;$!N;s/#\n# DirectoryIndex/#\n# Allow server status reports generated by mod_status,\n# with the URL of http:\/\/servername\/server-status\n# Change the ".example.com" to match your domain to enable.\n#\n<Location \/server-status>\n\tSetHandler server-status\n\tOrder deny,allow\n\tDeny from all\n\tAllow from localhost ip6-localhost 192\.168\.0\.0\/255\.255\.255\.0\n<\/Location>\n\n#\n\#DirectoryIndex/;tbegin;P;‌​D' /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

But there's no space between the # and DirectoryIndex.

However if I try to change it to: 

sed -i -e ':begin;$!N;s/#\n# DirectoryIndex/#\n# Allow server status reports generated by mod_status,\n# with the URL of http:\/\/servername\/server-status\n# Change the ".example.com" to match your domain to enable.\n#\n<Location \/server-status>\n\tSetHandler server-status\n\tOrder deny,allow\n\tDeny from all\n\tAllow from localhost ip6-localhost 192\.168\.0\.0\/255\.255\.255\.0\n<\/Location>\n\n#\n\# DirectoryIndex/;tbegin;P;‌​D' /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

The sed command hangs and never finishes. I can't seem to figure out why?

The only difference is a space between # and DirectoryIndex.

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  • It look like a Stack over flow question ? Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 17:36
  • You can use replace #\n# DirectoryIndex: sets the file that Apache will serve if a directory by this + new text, you don't need a reg exp for that | or you can get the line of this text and append after what you want. Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 17:37
  • Thanks i've flagged it and proposed it be migrated to stackoverflow. I wasn't sure weather to use stackoverflow, serverfault, or linux/unix site. Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 17:52
  • It's perfectly fine here. This is a sysadmin task. Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 17:54
  • @Froggiz - sed won't do multiline matches though. And trying to do what you propose with perl is failing: Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 18:10

2 Answers 2

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2

With awk, how about:

  • store every line in a variable for "the previous line"
  • if the current line matches the second one you're looking for (DirectoryIndex), check the variable with the previous line
  • If they both match
    • print the bumpf
    • print the 'current line'
    • print the swallowed '#'
  • Else
    • print the current line
  • update the 'previous line' variable with the current line.

This should work for you because you don't strictly need to PREPEND the text - since both the text you're looking for and the text you're inserting start with # you can leave the original #, insert your text minus the first # line in the middle, then print the original second line, then print another # to be the one you didn't prepend.

You'll have to fill in the full text, but there's enough here to convince me it can work ;)

gawk "{if (a==\"#\" && /^# DirectoryIndex/) {print \"# Allow Server\n#With the URL\n#\"; print $0} else {print $0}} {a=$0}" httpd.conf > ??

(My double quote escapes are for Windows' command prompt. Adjust as necessary).

Edited quoting for bash:

gawk '{if (a=="#" && /^# DirectoryIndex/) {print "# Allow Server\n# With the URL\n#"; print $0} else {print $0}} {a=$0}' httpd.conf
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  • This just outputs a string of zeros for me: 0 0 0 0 0 0 Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 21:10
  • That's part of the "adjust the quoting for your shell" bit.... I've edited my answer with a different quoting, and it seems to work on bash like that. Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 21:18
  • I have this working sorta. When I run the gawk statement it empties my config file. Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 22:12
  • gawk '{if (a=="#" && /^# DirectoryIndex/) {print "# Allow server status reports generated by mod_status,\n# with the URL of servername/server-status\n# Change the \".example.com\" to match your domain to enable.\n#\n<Location /server-status>\n\tSetHandler server-status\n\tOrder deny,allow\n\tDeny from all\n\tAllow from localhost ip6-localhost 127.0.0.1 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0\n</Location>\n\n#"; print $0} else {print $0}} {a=$0}' /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf > /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 22:13
  • Maybe you can't read and write the same file at once - one of these stackoverflow.com/q/16529716/478656 answers could help? Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 22:17
2

You should try

perl -0777 -i.original -pe 's/#\n# DirectoryIndex: sets the file that Apache will serve if a directory/#\n# DirectoryIndex: sets the file that Apache will serve if a directory\n#\n# Allow server status reports generated by mod_status,\n# with the URL of http:\/\/servername\/server-status\n# Change the ".example.com" to match your domain to enable.\n#\n<Location \/server-status>\n SetHandler server-status\n Order deny,allow\n Deny from all\n Allow from localhost ip6-localhost 127.0.0.1 192.168.0.0\/255.255.255.0\n<\/Location>/igs' /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Don't forget to escape your string replace (\/ for /) when you are using / delimiter in regexp tool

If you are running it through shell, you can do a script like that

#Set serach delimiter search='#\n# DirectoryIndex: sets the file that Apache will serve if a directory' #Set replace string from file replace=$search"\n"$(cat newConfFile) #Escape "/" char replace=${replace//\//\\\/ } #Launch the script perl -0777 -i.original -pe 's/${search}/${replace}/igs' /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

With newConfFile containt the virtual host configuration you want to add

This is a Bash Function to test if a function exist

#return 0 if command exist else return 1 canExec() { type "$1" &> /dev/null ; }

for example canExec sed test if sed command exist on your system

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  • This part is actually a block of text which I truncated: # # DirectoryIndex: sets the file that Apache will serve if a directory So really its: # # DirectoryIndex: sets the file that Apache will serve if a directory # More Stuff # And More So what the above does is sandwich it right in the middle of the statement: # # DirectoryIndex: sets the file that Apache will serve if a directory {Puts contents here} # More Stuff # And More Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 20:59
  • How you get the default string where to put your data after, can it be set as variable or even external file ? how you will launch your command, in a program ? Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 21:12
  • I'm looking to create a one-liner (mind you a very long one liner) which can be copied and pasted (as needed) into a bash prompt. Assuming the user has sed/awk/perl already installed. Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 21:14
  • I'm indifferent as to weather it uses sed or awk or perl - i have it ALMOST working in sed (per the comments in the original post) but the spacing isn't quite right and when I try and correct it sed hangs. Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 21:15
  • sed & hawk are almost all the time on any linux system, but perl need a package for it. If you need you can test if command exist in bash i addeded a func in my post Commented Nov 25, 2015 at 21:22

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