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Asked: 2024-09-25T15:34:14+05:30 In:

How can I eliminate a specific special character, known as the m-bm character, from a text file using sed in a Linux environment?

Hey everyone!

I’ve hit a bit of a snag while working on a project involving text files in my Linux environment, and I’m hoping to tap into your collective wisdom. I’ve come across this pesky little character called the m-bm character that seems to have sneaked its way into my text file, and it’s really starting to irk me. I can’t have this special character messing things up, especially when I’m trying to clean up the data for a report.

I know there are various tools and commands I can use in Linux, but I’m trying to specifically figure out how to tackle this with `sed`. I’ve seen a few snippets online, but I’m not entirely sure how to structure the command to effectively eliminate this character without causing any unintended consequences.

For context, here’s a brief overview of my setup: I have a text file with a lot of data entries, and every so often, this m-bm character pops up in the middle of some lines. It’s causing formatting issues, especially when I try to process the file further downstream. Honestly, every time I open the file, I find myself going on a mini treasure hunt for these characters. I need a solution that’s efficient and doesn’t require me to manually sift through the entire file.

Does anyone have a reliable `sed` command or script that could help me scrub this m-bm character from my text file in one go? Or at least point me in the right direction? Bonus points if you’ve encountered this problem before and can share your experience. Any tips or tricks would be super helpful!

I appreciate any input you all might have. Thanks in advance for your help!

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    2 Answers



    1. Removing m-bm Characters with sed

      Totally get your frustration with those pesky m-bm characters! They can really mess with your file, right? So here’s a simple `sed` command that should help you out:

      sed -i 's/\x{2010}//g' yourfile.txt

      Just replace yourfile.txt with the actual name of your file. This command will remove all occurrences of the m-bm character (assuming it corresponds to the Unicode character U+2010, which is the hyphen character). The -i flag means it will edit the file in place, so no need to create a new file.

      If you’re not sure about the character code, you can try this command to view the file with the characters visible:

      cat -v yourfile.txt

      That way, you can see what’s lurking in there. If it’s a different character, just adjust the hex code accordingly. If you need to replace multiple types of characters, you can chain them together like this:

      sed -i 's/\x{2010}//g; s/\x{2011}//g' yourfile.txt

      Hope that helps you out! It’s always a hassle dealing with unwanted characters, but with `sed`, you can zap them away pretty quickly. Good luck with your project!



    2. To remove the m-bm character (often represented as the byte order mark or BOM) from your text file using `sed`, you can use the following command. Assuming the character is represented by its hexadecimal code, you can specifically target it by using `sed` to search for that hex value. For example, try the command:

      sed -i 's/\xEF\xBB\xBF//g' yourfile.txt

      This command will directly edit your file in place (due to the `-i` flag) and replace all instances of the BOM with nothing, effectively removing it. Adjust `yourfile.txt` to your actual filename. If you’re dealing with a different representation of the m-bm character, make sure to modify the hexadecimal values in the command accordingly. Always make a backup of your original file before running such commands to avoid accidental data loss.


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