Re: edit a binary file

From: Bill Thompson (bill.thompson_at_GOODYEAR.COM)
Date: 09/09/03

  • Next message: Adams Kevin J: "Re: Moving users and print queues to another machine" 
    Date:         Tue, 9 Sep 2003 15:38:49 -0400
To: aix-l@Princeton.EDU

    Okay, nobody else bit on this so I'll give you *a* way to do it (probably
    not the only way).

    I have vim (http://www.vim.org) installed on all my computers. vim has a -b
    option to allow you to directly edit binary files. Using vim with the -b
    option in a "here to" notation would allow you to edit the file with a
    script.

    e.g.: Suppose you knew you wanted to change the characters at position
    25-29 on line 5 of a binary file with the string "abcde". The following
    script would do that.

    #!/bin/sh
    /usr/local/bin/vim -b /foo/bar/file <<END_OF_VIM
    5G25|Rabcde^[:wq!
    END_OF_VIM

    However as I'm sure you know, changing a binary file is *very* dangerous.
    Change them at your own risk

    Bill Thompson
    Sr UNIX Systems Administrator
    The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

    Contains Confidential and/or Proprietary Information
    May Not Be Copied or Disseminated Without Express Consent of The Goodyear
    Tire & Rubber Company.

    AIX-L Archives: http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=aix-l&r=1&w=2

     ----- Original Message -----
     From: Arthur Prince
     Newsgroups: bit.listserv.aix-l
     To: aix-l@Princeton.EDU
     Sent: Monday, September 08, 2003 6:57 AM
     Subject: edit a binary file

     I ned to be able to edit a binary file frfom a sheel script, i.e replace
     one string with another. Can awk or sed or anything do this on a binary
     file?

     Message sent via Totalise Webmail - http://www.totalise.co.uk/

  • Next message: Adams Kevin J: "Re: Moving users and print queues to another machine"

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