Wrap too long string output with new lines in bash

Question

Imagine your script outputs some real strange output like:

fdjsagnfafeowkagfdsngodagfoeagnfiosnthoaogjerapogrjeagnfdosngtnsrhig ofskhnIAGNRIEAGPREAOGJRIAEGRNIEOASGNFAIGRNESUIGRIOAEGRNIAENGRUEAOREANFDOIGNRUESIGORNAEIGNREIOAGRIUESGRJOEAGRNEOSIGRNEPAGRJAEIO

Crap I know. Probably it would look better this way:

fdjsagnfafeowkagfdsngodagfoeagnfiosnthoaogjera
pogrjeagnfdosngtnsrhig ofskhnIAGNRIEAGPREAOGJR
IAEGRNIEOASGNFAIGRNESUIGRIOAEGRNIAENGRUEAOREAN
FDOIGNRUESIGORNAEIGNREIOAGRIUESGRJOEAGRNEOSIGR
NEPAGRJAEIO

I am trying to do this with base64 encoded string data in bash. How could I do it?

You should be able to store the output as a variable and then try something like: `echo $varname | base64` — ryekayo, Apr 21 '15 at 21:15
I am not using java nor wrapping the output for parsing. I am wraping it because it would get lost if I didn't. The data is being sent over networks and it's all nastily complicated. — Tomáš Zato, Apr 21 '15 at 21:15
@ryekayo I know how to make base64 data. I just need to print it wrapped as in my question. — Tomáš Zato, Apr 21 '15 at 21:15

John1024 · Accepted Answer · 2015-04-21T21:35:22.220

For your sample input, fold will produce the output that you request. Suppose that we have this file:

$ cat longline
fdjsagnfafeowkagfdsngodagfoeagnfiosnthoaogjerapogrjeagnfdosngtnsrhig ofskhnIAGNRIEAGPREAOGJRIAEGRNIEOASGNFAIGRNESUIGRIOAEGRNIAENGRUEAOREANFDOIGNRUESIGORNAEIGNREIOAGRIUESGRJOEAGRNEOSIGRNEPAGRJAEIO

To make lines with width 46-characters:

$ fold -w 46 longline
fdjsagnfafeowkagfdsngodagfoeagnfiosnthoaogjera
pogrjeagnfdosngtnsrhig ofskhnIAGNRIEAGPREAOGJR
IAEGRNIEOASGNFAIGRNESUIGRIOAEGRNIAENGRUEAOREAN
FDOIGNRUESIGORNAEIGNREIOAGRIUESGRJOEAGRNEOSIGR
NEPAGRJAEIO

If you want to use it in a pipeline, fold also accepts stdin:

$ fold -w 46 <longline
fdjsagnfafeowkagfdsngodagfoeagnfiosnthoaogjera
pogrjeagnfdosngtnsrhig ofskhnIAGNRIEAGPREAOGJR
IAEGRNIEOASGNFAIGRNESUIGRIOAEGRNIAENGRUEAOREAN
FDOIGNRUESIGORNAEIGNREIOAGRIUESGRJOEAGRNEOSIGR
NEPAGRJAEIO

On Linux, fold is part of GNU coreutils and should be installed by default. It is also available under Mac OSX.

Well, would you have guessed, there's no way to not count escape codes... :-/ — Llamageddon, Oct 15 '19 at 08:34

Wrap too long string output with new lines in bash

1 Answers1