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Concatenation of Files 1
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Errmm - I should point out here that one of the examples that CaKiwi gives is a bit risky (sorry CaKiwy)
this one: cat file*
This is what that command will do. In, say, a directory with four files named:
file1, file2, file3 and file4
the command line: 'cat file*' gets expanded to:
cat file1 file2 file3 file4
This takes the contents of file1, file2 and file3 and puts it into a file named file4 - so it overwrites an existing file. If that's what you want to do then fine - it usually isn't though.
This is a favorite mistake of DOS people learning UNIX (I made it, for instance - a "couple" of years ago (and more than once as well... ahem)) and it comes from the difference between the ways UNIX and DOS based systems interpret wild cards.
Mike
michael.j.lacey@ntlworld.com
Email welcome if you're in a hurry or something -- but post in tek-tips as well please, and I will post my reply here as well.
this one: cat file*
This is what that command will do. In, say, a directory with four files named:
file1, file2, file3 and file4
the command line: 'cat file*' gets expanded to:
cat file1 file2 file3 file4
This takes the contents of file1, file2 and file3 and puts it into a file named file4 - so it overwrites an existing file. If that's what you want to do then fine - it usually isn't though.
This is a favorite mistake of DOS people learning UNIX (I made it, for instance - a "couple" of years ago (and more than once as well... ahem)) and it comes from the difference between the ways UNIX and DOS based systems interpret wild cards.
Mike
michael.j.lacey@ntlworld.com
Email welcome if you're in a hurry or something -- but post in tek-tips as well please, and I will post my reply here as well.
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