Linux command to insert multiple lines into xml file

Question

Linux command to insert multiple lines into xml file before match/pattern. Tried with the following command :

#finding pattern:
toOccurance=`grep -n "\<copy file=\"${appletResource}\/images\/CCMsplash.gif\" toFile=\"${appletbuild}\/splash.gif\" \/>" abc.xml | awk -F: '{print $1}'`

toOccurance=$(($toOccurance -1 ))

sed -i "$toOccurance /a \<copy todir=\"${controlbuild\}\" flatten=\"true\">\n
                \<fileset dir=\"${appletResource}\">\n
                        \<include name=\"crop.properties\"\/>\n
                        \<include name=\"vvm.xml\"\/>\n
                        \<exclude name=\"images\/\*splash.gif\"\/> 
                <\/fileset>
        <\/copy>" abc.xml

No error is shown but the command doesn't work. Any pointers on how to fix it ?

Answer 1

Your sed "a" command is wrong. Change:

sed -i "$toOccurance /a blah blah blah....

to

sed -i "${toOccurance}a blah blah blah....

but @tripleee is right, you could just as well use sed to find the lines number rather than all the business at the top. But one working script is worth two "it would be better this way" scripts, I guess .

Answer 2

Update before a specified match/pattern in xml file.....

!/bin/sh

function updateXML () { abcFilePath=abc.xml echo "Updating file $abcFilePath"

if [ -f $abcFilePath ];
then
    echo "File $abcFilePath exists"
else
    echo "File $abcFilePath does not exists"

dos2unix $abcFilePath
fi

    toOccurance=`grep -n '\<copy file=\"${appletResource}\/images\/CCMsplash.gif\" toFile=\"${appletbuild}\/splash.gif\" \/>' $abcFilePath | awk -F: '{print $1}'`

toOccurance=$(($toOccurance - 1 ))

echo "toOccurance =  $toOccurance"

sed -i "${toOccurance}a \\n\\\\n\\\\n\\\\n\\n</fileset>\\n</copy>" $abcFilePath

echo "Updated file "

}

updateXML