sed: -e expression #1, char 23: unknown option to `s'

Question

I'm trying to use sed to update a config file using a bash script. I have a similar sed command right above this one in the script that runs fine. I can't seem to figure out why this is breaking:

sed -i.bak \
    -e s/"socketPath:'https://localhost:9091'"/"socketPath:'/socket'"/g \
    $WEB_CONF

Any ideas?

an alternative fix is to escape the slashes i.e. https:\/\/localhost:9091 — Alexander Rolek, Mar 04 '14 at 21:15

score 26 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 04 '14 at 20:48

26

The quotes and double quotes are causing problems. You are using them in view of the slashes in the string. In sed you can use another delimiter, such as a #.

sed -e 's#socketPath:https://localhost:9091#socketPath:/socket#g' \
$WEB_CONF

answered Mar 04 '14 at 20:48

Walter A

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score 8 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 04 '14 at 20:45

8

Escape your slashes in the pattern or use a different delimiter like this:

sed -i.bak \
-e s%"socketPath:'https://localhost:9091'"%"socketPath:'/socket'"%g \
$WEB_CONF

answered Mar 04 '14 at 20:45

aragaer

17,238
6
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score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 04 '14 at 20:42

I am confused looking at the delimiters you have used so you can't blame sed for goofing up. When your dataset has / in them, it is often advised to use a different delimiters like # or _ (yes, sed supports various delimiters).

Also, your quoting looks abit off. The syntax should be:

sed -i.bak 's#substitute#replacement#g' "$WEB_CONF"

If your substitute and/or replacement has variables use " instead ' which will allow it to interpolate.

sed: -e expression #1, char 23: unknown option to `s'

3 Answers3

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