[linux] What linux shell command returns a part of a string?

I want to find a linux command that can return a part of the string. In most programming languages, it's the substr() function. Does bash have any command that can be used for this purpose. I want to be able to do something like this... substr "abcdefg" 2 3 - prints cde.

Subsequent similar question:

• Extract substring in Bash

In bash you can try this:

stringZ=abcABC123ABCabc
#       0123456789.....
#       0-based indexing.

echo ${stringZ:0:2} # prints ab

More samples in The Linux Documentation Project

In "pure" bash you have many tools for (sub)string manipulation, mainly, but not exclusively in parameter expansion :

${parameter//substring/replacement}
${parameter##remove_matching_prefix}
${parameter%%remove_matching_suffix}

Indexed substring expansion (special behaviours with negative offsets, and, in newer Bashes, negative lengths):

${parameter:offset}
${parameter:offset:length}
${parameter:offset:length}

And of course, the much useful expansions that operate on whether the parameter is null:

${parameter:+use this if param is NOT null}
${parameter:-use this if param is null}
${parameter:=use this and assign to param if param is null}
${parameter:?show this error if param is null}

They have more tweakable behaviours than those listed, and as I said, there are other ways to manipulate strings (a common one being $(command substitution) combined with sed or any other external filter). But, they are so easily found by typing man bash that I don't feel it merits to further extend this post.

expr(1) has a substr subcommand:

expr substr <string> <start-index> <length>

This may be useful if you don't have bash (perhaps embedded Linux) and you don't want the extra "echo" process you need to use cut(1).

In "pure" bash you have many tools for (sub)string manipulation, mainly, but not exclusively in parameter expansion :

${parameter//substring/replacement}
${parameter##remove_matching_prefix}
${parameter%%remove_matching_suffix}

Indexed substring expansion (special behaviours with negative offsets, and, in newer Bashes, negative lengths):

${parameter:offset}
${parameter:offset:length}
${parameter:offset:length}

And of course, the much useful expansions that operate on whether the parameter is null:

${parameter:+use this if param is NOT null}
${parameter:-use this if param is null}
${parameter:=use this and assign to param if param is null}
${parameter:?show this error if param is null}

They have more tweakable behaviours than those listed, and as I said, there are other ways to manipulate strings (a common one being $(command substitution) combined with sed or any other external filter). But, they are so easily found by typing man bash that I don't feel it merits to further extend this post.

From the bash manpage:

${parameter:offset}
${parameter:offset:length}
        Substring  Expansion.   Expands  to  up  to length characters of
        parameter starting at the character  specified  by  offset.
[...]

Or, if you are not sure of having bash, consider using cut.

expr(1) has a substr subcommand:

expr substr <string> <start-index> <length>

This may be useful if you don't have bash (perhaps embedded Linux) and you don't want the extra "echo" process you need to use cut(1).

${string:position:length}

expr(1) has a substr subcommand:

expr substr <string> <start-index> <length>

This may be useful if you don't have bash (perhaps embedded Linux) and you don't want the extra "echo" process you need to use cut(1).

In bash you can try this:

stringZ=abcABC123ABCabc
#       0123456789.....
#       0-based indexing.

echo ${stringZ:0:2} # prints ab

More samples in The Linux Documentation Project

${string:position:length}

In bash you can try this:

stringZ=abcABC123ABCabc
#       0123456789.....
#       0-based indexing.

echo ${stringZ:0:2} # prints ab

More samples in The Linux Documentation Project

From the bash manpage:

${parameter:offset}
${parameter:offset:length}
        Substring  Expansion.   Expands  to  up  to length characters of
        parameter starting at the character  specified  by  offset.
[...]

Or, if you are not sure of having bash, consider using cut.

In bash you can try this:

stringZ=abcABC123ABCabc
#       0123456789.....
#       0-based indexing.

echo ${stringZ:0:2} # prints ab

More samples in The Linux Documentation Project

${string:position:length}

From the bash manpage:

${parameter:offset}
${parameter:offset:length}
        Substring  Expansion.   Expands  to  up  to length characters of
        parameter starting at the character  specified  by  offset.
[...]

Or, if you are not sure of having bash, consider using cut.