Hi folks. OSX 10.47 G5 dual. I have a folder with a large number of
subfolders in it. In each folder is an html file. I need to make an
identical text change to each file. BBEdit is perfect for the job
but...I must open each file first. Surely there must be a utility that
will find-and-replace a text string in each file while it is not open.
I sure hope so, anyway.

(I even tried to use Dreamweaver. It reported all finds of the old text
string but did NOT make the change even though the menu commands
suggested that it would. Dreamweaver sure spent a lot of time working
through my request for no result!)

Thanks,

BG

BusyGuy wrote:

> Hi folks. OSX 10.47 G5 dual. I have a folder with a large number of
> subfolders in it. In each folder is an html file. I need to make an
> identical text change to each file. BBEdit is perfect for the job but...I
> must open each file first. Surely there must be a utility that will
> find-and-replace a text string in each file while it is not open. I sure
> hope so, anyway.

If you are comfortable working with the command line, the 'sed' tool is
exactly what you want. Here's an example command that finds all HTML files
in the current directory and its subdirectories, and replaces "example1"
with "example2" (note that this should all be one line):

find . -type f -iname "*.html" -exec sed -i .bak -e
"s/example1/example2/g" \{} \;

HTH,
--
Benjamin D. Esham
bdesham******.com | AIM: bdesham128 | Jabber: same as e-mail
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori. — Wilfred Owen

BusyGuy wrote:

> Hi folks. OSX 10.47 G5 dual. I have a folder with a large number of
> subfolders in it. In each folder is an html file. I need to make an
> identical text change to each file. BBEdit is perfect for the job but...I
> must open each file first. Surely there must be a utility that will
> find-and-replace a text string in each file while it is not open. I sure
> hope so, anyway.

If you are comfortable working with the command line, the 'sed' tool is
exactly what you want. Here's an example command that finds all HTML files
in the current directory and its subdirectories, and replaces "example1"
with "example2" (note that this should all be one line):

find . -type f -iname "*.html" -exec sed -i .bak -e
"s/example1/example2/g" \{} \;

HTH,
--
Benjamin D. Esham
bdesham******.com | AIM: bdesham128 | Jabber: same as e-mail
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori. — Wilfred Owen

In article <NVAQg.1226$Ka1.137@news01.roc.ny>, Benjamin Esham
<bdesham******.com> wrote:

> BusyGuy wrote:
>
> > Hi folks. OSX 10.47 G5 dual. I have a folder with a large number of
> > subfolders in it. In each folder is an html file. I need to make an
> > identical text change to each file. BBEdit is perfect for the job but...I
> > must open each file first. Surely there must be a utility that will
> > find-and-replace a text string in each file while it is not open. I sure
> > hope so, anyway.
>
> If you are comfortable working with the command line, the 'sed' tool is
> exactly what you want. Here's an example command that finds all HTML files
> in the current directory and its subdirectories, and replaces "example1"
> with "example2" (note that this should all be one line):
>
> find . -type f -iname "*.html" -exec sed -i .bak -e
> "s/example1/example2/g" \{} \;
>
> HTH,


Thanks very much, Benjamin. I'm not comfortable with command line but
maybe it's time I learned. I'll give it a go.

Regards

BG

In article <NVAQg.1226$Ka1.137@news01.roc.ny>, Benjamin Esham
<bdesham******.com> wrote:

> BusyGuy wrote:
>
> > Hi folks. OSX 10.47 G5 dual. I have a folder with a large number of
> > subfolders in it. In each folder is an html file. I need to make an
> > identical text change to each file. BBEdit is perfect for the job but...I
> > must open each file first. Surely there must be a utility that will
> > find-and-replace a text string in each file while it is not open. I sure
> > hope so, anyway.
>
> If you are comfortable working with the command line, the 'sed' tool is
> exactly what you want. Here's an example command that finds all HTML files
> in the current directory and its subdirectories, and replaces "example1"
> with "example2" (note that this should all be one line):
>
> find . -type f -iname "*.html" -exec sed -i .bak -e
> "s/example1/example2/g" \{} \;
>
> HTH,


Thanks very much, Benjamin. I'm not comfortable with command line but
maybe it's time I learned. I'll give it a go.

Regards

BG

On Sep 21, 2006, BusyGuy wrote:
> Hi folks. OSX 10.47 G5 dual. I have a folder with a large number of
> subfolders in it. In each folder is an html file. I need to make an
> identical text change to each file. BBEdit is perfect for the job
> but...I must open each file first. Surely there must be a utility that
> will find-and-replace a text string in each file while it is not open.
> I sure hope so, anyway.
>
> (I even tried to use Dreamweaver. It reported all finds of the old text
> string but did NOT make the change even though the menu commands
> suggested that it would. Dreamweaver sure spent a lot of time working
> through my request for no result!)
>
> Thanks,
>
> BG

TextWrangler (barebones.com) has a process (although I've never used it) to
search for file name patterns to open. Then, when they're open, it's
search-replace function will search through all files, and it has Grep tools,
too.

On Sep 21, 2006, BusyGuy wrote:
> Hi folks. OSX 10.47 G5 dual. I have a folder with a large number of
> subfolders in it. In each folder is an html file. I need to make an
> identical text change to each file. BBEdit is perfect for the job
> but...I must open each file first. Surely there must be a utility that
> will find-and-replace a text string in each file while it is not open.
> I sure hope so, anyway.
>
> (I even tried to use Dreamweaver. It reported all finds of the old text
> string but did NOT make the change even though the menu commands
> suggested that it would. Dreamweaver sure spent a lot of time working
> through my request for no result!)
>
> Thanks,
>
> BG

TextWrangler (barebones.com) has a process (although I've never used it) to
search for file name patterns to open. Then, when they're open, it's
search-replace function will search through all files, and it has Grep tools,
too.

In article <0001HW.C13AE6340043038CF0203648@newsgroups.bellso uth.net>,
Tim Murray <no-spam@thankyou.com> wrote:

> On Sep 21, 2006, BusyGuy wrote:
> > Hi folks. OSX 10.47 G5 dual. I have a folder with a large number of
> > subfolders in it. In each folder is an html file. I need to make an
> > identical text change to each file. BBEdit is perfect for the job
> > but...I must open each file first. Surely there must be a utility that
> > will find-and-replace a text string in each file while it is not open.
> > I sure hope so, anyway.
> >
> > (I even tried to use Dreamweaver. It reported all finds of the old text
> > string but did NOT make the change even though the menu commands
> > suggested that it would. Dreamweaver sure spent a lot of time working
> > through my request for no result!)
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > BG
>
> TextWrangler (barebones.com) has a process (although I've never used it) to
> search for file name patterns to open. Then, when they're open, it's
> search-replace function will search through all files, and it has Grep tools,
> too.
>

Thanks, Tim

In article <0001HW.C13AE6340043038CF0203648@newsgroups.bellso uth.net>,
Tim Murray <no-spam@thankyou.com> wrote:

> On Sep 21, 2006, BusyGuy wrote:
> > Hi folks. OSX 10.47 G5 dual. I have a folder with a large number of
> > subfolders in it. In each folder is an html file. I need to make an
> > identical text change to each file. BBEdit is perfect for the job
> > but...I must open each file first. Surely there must be a utility that
> > will find-and-replace a text string in each file while it is not open.
> > I sure hope so, anyway.
> >
> > (I even tried to use Dreamweaver. It reported all finds of the old text
> > string but did NOT make the change even though the menu commands
> > suggested that it would. Dreamweaver sure spent a lot of time working
> > through my request for no result!)
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > BG
>
> TextWrangler (barebones.com) has a process (although I've never used it) to
> search for file name patterns to open. Then, when they're open, it's
> search-replace function will search through all files, and it has Grep tools,
> too.
>

Thanks, Tim

In article <210920061928353595%BusyGuy@Work.ru>,
BusyGuy <BusyGuy@Work.ru> wrote:

> Hi folks. OSX 10.47 G5 dual. I have a folder with a large number of
> subfolders in it. In each folder is an html file. I need to make an
> identical text change to each file. BBEdit is perfect for the job
> but...I must open each file first. Surely there must be a utility that
> will find-and-replace a text string in each file while it is not open.
> I sure hope so, anyway.
>
> (I even tried to use Dreamweaver. It reported all finds of the old text
> string but did NOT make the change even though the menu commands
> suggested that it would. Dreamweaver sure spent a lot of time working
> through my request for no result!)

I've used BBedit and DW to do these kinds of things, so I don't know
what the problem is. I don't remember if I used them to change an entire
directory or if subdirectories were used, maybe that the problem. Still,
I would try a little harder to see if these apps can do it. FWIW, DW did
everything slowly for me which is why I stopped using it. I also found
that using SSI includes was far and away the best way to deal with
frequently changed elements. You just change one small file and boom,
its all done across the website.

In article <210920061928353595%BusyGuy@Work.ru>,
BusyGuy <BusyGuy@Work.ru> wrote:

> Hi folks. OSX 10.47 G5 dual. I have a folder with a large number of
> subfolders in it. In each folder is an html file. I need to make an
> identical text change to each file. BBEdit is perfect for the job
> but...I must open each file first. Surely there must be a utility that
> will find-and-replace a text string in each file while it is not open.
> I sure hope so, anyway.
>
> (I even tried to use Dreamweaver. It reported all finds of the old text
> string but did NOT make the change even though the menu commands
> suggested that it would. Dreamweaver sure spent a lot of time working
> through my request for no result!)

I've used BBedit and DW to do these kinds of things, so I don't know
what the problem is. I don't remember if I used them to change an entire
directory or if subdirectories were used, maybe that the problem. Still,
I would try a little harder to see if these apps can do it. FWIW, DW did
everything slowly for me which is why I stopped using it. I also found
that using SSI includes was far and away the best way to deal with
frequently changed elements. You just change one small file and boom,
its all done across the website.