Unix & Linux: Is there any mechanism in zsh scripts for producing a string?

• kkramsch / 200 / Thurs, 11 Mar 2010 01:49:00 GMT / Comments (3)
• Is there any mechanism in zsh scripts for producing a string by concatenating n copies of a substring? I'm thinking something analogous to Perl's 'x' operator, e.g.
  
  "a" x 5 --> "aaaaa"
  
  Thanks,
  
  Karl
  Sent from a spam-bucket account; I check it once in a blue moon. If you still want to e-mail me, cut out the extension from my address, and make the obvious substitutions on what's left.
• Keywords:

  mechanism, zsh, scripts, producing, string, unix, linux

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• 1. 2004-11-15, 16:48(+00), KKramsch:
     > Is there any mechanism in zsh scripts for producing a string by
     > concatenating n copies of a substring? I'm thinking something
     > analogous to Perl's 'x' operator, e.g.
     > "a" x 5 --> "aaaaa"
     [...]
     
     Not as such, but there are padding expansion flags:
     
     print ${(l:5::a:):-}
     
     Left pads the empty string (${:-}) with 'a's with width "5".
     
     Right padding example:
     
     $ A=foo
     $ print ${(r:30::bar:)A}
     foobarbarbarbarbarbarbarbarbar
     
     for a perl-like `x' operator, you need a loop:
     
     var=
     repeat 5 var=a$var
     Stephane

     stephane_chazelas | Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:39:00 GMT |

  2. KKramsch <karlUNDERSCOREkramsch...yahooperiodcom.invalid> wrote:
     > Is there any mechanism in zsh scripts for producing a string by
     > concatenating n copies of a substring? I'm thinking something
     > analogous to Perl's 'x' operator, e.g.
     > "a" x 5 --> "aaaaa"
     
     Not sure about Zsh, but for Bash
     http://groups.google.com/groups?sel...1...uni-berlin.de

     williampark | Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:40:00 GMT |

  3. Thus spake KKramsch (karlUNDERSCOREkramsch...yahooPERIODcom.invalid):
     > Is there any mechanism in zsh scripts for producing a string by
     > concatenating n copies of a substring? I'm thinking something
     > analogous to Perl's 'x' operator, e.g.
     > "a" x 5 --> "aaaaa"
     
     echo ${(l:5::a:)}

     christian_schneider | Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:41:00 GMT |