sed trying to replace string with another string

Question

i have the following regex command in my bash script:

 sed -i -e 's/\(expose_php = On\)/\1expose_php = Off/' /etc/php/php.ini

Instead of replacing:

  expose_php = On

with

expose_php = Off

it's doing the following:

 expose_php = Onexpose_php = Off

This is my first crack at bash and sed... any pointers would be appreciated.

You are catching expose_php = On and then printing back with \1. — fedorqui
– fedorqui, Commented Feb 24, 2014 at 13:30

anubhava · Accepted Answer · 2014-02-24 13:31:08Z

3

You can use:

sed -i -e 's/expose_php = On/expose_php = Off/' /etc/php/php.ini

No need to capture the match and use back reference \1 in replacement in your case.

answered Feb 24, 2014 at 13:31

anubhava

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