Search & Replace (sr) - Universal Text Replacement Utility v6.1.0

Enterprise-grade search and replace utility with session-based rollback, multi-layer binary detection, and advanced backup management

Overview

sr is a professional-grade command-line utility designed for safe, predictable, and auditable text replacements across multiple files. Built with enterprise deployments in mind, it provides developers, system administrators, and DevOps engineers with a robust, production-ready replacement mechanism that eliminates common pitfalls associated with text manipulation.

Unlike simplistic alternatives like sed -i or basic find-replace scripts, sr implements a comprehensive safety-first approach with industrial-strength features including multi-layer binary file detection, session-based backup management with complete audit trails, one-command rollback capabilities, and configurable safety limits.

Why Choose sr?

Safety First: Multi-layer protection against accidental data corruption
Enterprise Ready: Session tracking, audit trails, and configurable safety limits
Predictable Behavior: Consistent argument parsing and explicit behavior control
Professional Tooling: Direct parameter passing to core utilities (find/sed/grep)
Cross-Platform: Compatible with Linux, macOS, and BSD systems
Comprehensive: 40+ configuration options with environment variable support

Quick Start

Installation in 30 Seconds

# Download and install
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/paulmann/sr-search-replace/main/sr.sh -o sr
chmod +x sr
sudo mv sr /usr/local/bin/

# Verify installation
sr --version

Basic Usage Examples

# Simple domain migration in HTML files
sr "*.html" "old-domain.com" "new-domain.com"

# Recursive replacement with case-insensitive matching
sr -i "*.js" "function oldName" "function newName"

# Test changes before applying (dry-run)
sr --dry-run "*.conf" "localhost:3000" "localhost:8080"

# Restore from accidental changes
sr --rollback

Essential Safety Features

# Always test first
sr --dry-run -v "*.py" "deprecated_function" "new_function"

# Create backups automatically (default)
sr "*.sql" "DROP TABLE" "DELETE FROM"

# Restore if something goes wrong
sr --rollback

What's New in v6.1.0

Enhanced Configuration System

Version 6.1.0 introduces a comprehensive configuration system with tool-specific parameter passing and extended search capabilities:

# Tool-specific parameter passing (NEW)
sr --find-opts="-type f -mtime -7" "*.log" "ERROR" "WARNING"
sr --sed-opts="-e 's/foo/bar/' -e 's/baz/qux/'" "*.txt" "find" "replace"
sr --grep-opts="-v '^#'" "*.conf" "port" "8080"

# Extended search options (NEW)
sr -i -E -w "*.md" "\bAPI\b" "Application Programming Interface"

Key Enhancements

Tool Configuration Variables: Base tool commands and default flags configurable as script variables
Direct Parameter Passing: --find-opts, --sed-opts, --grep-opts flags for precise control
Extended Search Capabilities: Case-insensitive matching, word boundaries, extended regex
Improved Compatibility: Better handling of GNU/BSD sed variations
Enhanced Documentation: Complete reference for all tool-specific parameters
Performance Optimizations: Optimized flag handling and execution paths

Backward Compatibility

Version 6.1.0 maintains full backward compatibility with v6.0.0. All existing scripts and workflows continue to work without modification.

Key Features

Core Functionality

🔄 Recursive File Processing

Recursive directory traversal with configurable depth limits (1-1000 levels)
Single and multi-file processing modes with explicit file lists
Support for shell glob patterns with proper escaping and quoting
Dual-mode operation: pattern matching or explicit file list
Predictable argument parsing eliminates confusion

🔍 Multi-Layer Binary Detection

Three detection methods: multi_layer (default), file_only, grep_only
Layer 1: Fast grep heuristic on first N bytes (configurable)
Layer 2: File utility MIME type analysis (when available)
Layer 3: Combined decision with zero false positives
Explicit --binary flag required for binary file processing

💾 Intelligent Backup System

Automatic backup creation before modifications (default)
Session-based organization with unique session IDs (nanosecond precision)
Complete metadata tracking: command, arguments, timestamps, user
Real-time file tracking for accurate rollback operations
Configurable retention policies (keep last N backups)

⏮️ Session Rollback System

One-command restoration: sr --rollback
Specific session restoration: sr --rollback=sr.backup.20240112_143022
Interactive confirmation with 30-second timeout
Complete file restoration including permissions and ownership
Detailed rollback status reporting with success/failure counts

🔐 Safety & Security Features

Dry-run mode for non-destructive testing (--dry-run)
Maximum file size limits to prevent processing of huge files
Automatic exclusion of dangerous directories (.git, node_modules, etc.)
Hidden file filtering capability (--exclude-hidden)
Configurable exclude patterns and directory lists
Atomic operations with proper error handling and cleanup

Enhanced Capabilities (v6.1.0)

🛠️ Tool-Specific Configuration

# Base tool configuration (script variables)
FIND_TOOL="find"
SED_TOOL="sed"
GREP_TOOL="grep"

# Default flags configuration
FIND_FLAGS=""
SED_FLAGS=""
GREP_FLAGS="-F"

# Command-line overrides
sr --find-opts="-type f -name '*.js'" --sed-opts="-E" "*.js" "var " "let "

🔍 Extended Search Options

Case-insensitive matching (-i, --ignore-case)
Extended regular expressions (-E, --extended-regex)
Word boundary matching (-w, --word-boundary)
Multi-line mode (-m, --multiline)
Line number display (-n, --line-numbers)
Dot matches newline (--dot-all)
Global replace control (--no-global)

📊 Comprehensive Logging & Reporting

Four logging levels: error, warning, info, verbose, debug
Color-coded output for better readability
Session metadata tracking and reporting
Detailed statistics: files processed, replacements made, performance metrics
Progress reporting with time estimation for large file sets

⚙️ Flexible Configuration System

Environment variable overrides for all major options
Configuration via script variables (editable header section)
Command-line precedence: CLI > Environment > Script defaults
Customizable delimiters for sed operations
Configurable file encoding handling

System Requirements

Prerequisites

The tool requires a POSIX-compliant shell environment with standard GNU/BSD utilities:

# Required core utilities (minimum versions)
bash (5.0 or higher)        # Shell interpreter
find (4.0+)                 # File discovery
sed (4.0+)                  # Stream editor
grep (3.0+)                 # Pattern matching

# Highly recommended for enhanced functionality
file (5.0+)                 # Improved binary detection
stat (8.0+)                 # Ownership/permission preservation
touch (8.0+)                # Timestamp management
realpath (8.0+)             # Path resolution

# Optional for additional features
bc (1.0+)                   # Mathematical calculations
du (8.0+)                   # Disk usage reporting

Compatibility Matrix

System	Version	Status	Notes
Ubuntu Linux	18.04+	✅ Fully Compatible	All features supported
Debian	10+	✅ Fully Compatible	Recommended for production
CentOS/RHEL	7+	✅ Fully Compatible	May require GNU coreutils
macOS	10.15+	✅ Fully Compatible	BSD sed requires GNU sed for some features
Alpine Linux	3.14+	⚠️ Mostly Compatible	BusyBox limitations may apply
FreeBSD	12.0+	⚠️ Mostly Compatible	Different tool flags
Windows WSL2	All	✅ Fully Compatible	Linux subsystem required

Dependencies Installation

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install bash findutils sed grep file coreutils

# RHEL/CentOS
sudo yum install bash findutils sed grep file coreutils

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install bash findutils gnu-sed grep file coreutils
brew link --force gnu-sed

# Alpine Linux
apk add bash findutils sed grep file coreutils

Installation

Method 1: Direct Download (Recommended)

# Download latest version
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/paulmann/sr-search-replace/main/sr.sh -o sr

# Make executable
chmod +x sr

# Install globally (optional)
sudo cp sr /usr/local/bin/

# Verify installation
sr --version

Method 2: Git Clone (Development)

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/paulmann/sr-search-replace.git
cd sr-search-replace

# Make executable
chmod +x sr.sh

# Create symlink
sudo ln -s "$(pwd)/sr.sh" /usr/local/bin/sr

# Test installation
sr --help

Method 3: Package Manager (Advanced)

# Create installation package (deb/rpm)
# Example for Debian-based systems
mkdir -p sr-package/usr/local/bin
cp sr.sh sr-package/usr/local/bin/sr
chmod +x sr-package/usr/local/bin/sr

# Build package (requires dpkg-deb)
dpkg-deb --build sr-package sr_6.1.0_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i sr_6.1.0_all.deb

Installation Verification

# Test all components
sr --version
sr --help | head -20

# Verify tool dependencies
for cmd in bash find sed grep file stat; do
    if command -v $cmd >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        echo "✓ $cmd: $(which $cmd)"
    else
        echo "✗ $cmd: NOT FOUND"
    fi
done

# Run diagnostic test
sr --dry-run "*.txt" "test" "TEST" 2>&1 | grep -i "dry-run"

Upgrading from Previous Versions

# Backup existing configuration if any
cp ~/.sr_config ~/.sr_config.backup 2>/dev/null || true

# Download and replace
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/paulmann/sr-search-replace/main/sr.sh -o /tmp/sr_new
chmod +x /tmp/sr_new

# Test new version
/tmp/sr_new --version

# Replace if tests pass
sudo cp /tmp/sr_new /usr/local/bin/sr
sr --version

Usage Guide

Command Syntax

# Basic syntax
sr [OPTIONS] "FILE_PATTERN" "SEARCH_STRING" "REPLACE_STRING"

# Important: Options MUST come before positional arguments
# Correct:
sr -v --dry-run "*.html" "old" "new"

# Incorrect (won't work as expected):
sr "*.html" "old" "new" -v --dry-run

Argument Processing Modes

sr supports three distinct argument processing modes:

Mode 1: Standard 3-Argument (Recommended)

sr "PATTERN" "SEARCH" "REPLACE"
# Example: sr "*.js" "function old" "function new"

Mode 2: Standard 2-Argument (Default Pattern)

sr "SEARCH" "REPLACE"
# Uses default pattern: *.*
# Example: sr "localhost" "production-host"

Mode 3: Explicit File List (Shell Expansion)

sr file1.txt file2.txt "SEARCH" "REPLACE"
# Process specific files (not patterns)
# Example: sr index.html about.html "Copyright 2020" "Copyright 2025"

Essential Options Quick Reference

Category	Option	Description
Core	`-v, --verbose`	Enable verbose output
	`-d, --debug`	Enable debug output (implies verbose)
	`-nr, --no-recursive`	Non-recursive search
Safety	`--dry-run`	Test without modifications
	`--binary`	Allow binary file processing (REQUIRED)
	`-nb, --no-backup`	Disable backup creation
Search	`-i, --ignore-case`	Case-insensitive search
	`-E, --extended-regex`	Use extended regular expressions
	`-w, --word-boundary`	Match whole words only
Tools	`--find-opts="FLAGS"`	Additional flags for find
	`--sed-opts="FLAGS"`	Additional flags for sed
	`--grep-opts="FLAGS"`	Additional flags for grep
Rollback	`--rollback`	Restore latest backup
	`--rollback-list`	List available backups

Comprehensive Examples

Basic Text Replacement

# Simple string replacement
sr "*.txt" "hello" "world"

# Recursive replacement with verbose output
sr -v "**/*.js" "var " "const "

# Case-insensitive domain migration
sr -i "*.html" "http://example.com" "https://example.com"

Pattern-Based Operations

# Replace in specific file types only
sr "src/**/*.ts" "interface Old" "interface New"

# Multiple file patterns (using shell expansion)
sr *.js *.ts *.jsx "React.Component" "React.PureComponent"

# Exclude directories from search
sr -xd node_modules,dist "*.js" "TODO:" "DONE:"

Advanced Search Features

# Extended regex with word boundaries
sr -E -w "*.md" "\bAPI\b" "Application Programming Interface"

# Case-insensitive multi-line replacement
sr -i -m "*.py" "def calculate.*\n.*return" "def compute"

# Show line numbers of matches (dry-run)
sr --dry-run -n "*.java" "System.out.println" "logger.debug"

Safety-First Operations

# Always test first with dry-run
sr --dry-run -v "*.yml" "password:.*" "password: [REDACTED]"

# Force backups for critical changes
sr -fb "*.sql" "DROP TABLE" "-- DROP TABLE"

# Set safe limits for production
sr -md 5 -xs 10 "*.conf" "debug: true" "debug: false"

Tool-Specific Parameter Passing (v6.1.0)

# Pass custom flags to find
sr --find-opts="-type f -mtime -1" "*.log" "ERROR" "WARNING"

# Use sed with multiple expressions
sr --sed-opts="-e 's/foo/bar/g' -e 's/baz/qux/g'" "*.txt" "pattern" "replacement"

# Configure grep behavior
sr --grep-opts="-v '^#'" "*.conf" "port = 3000" "port = 8080"

Session Management and Rollback

# List all available backups
sr --rollback-list

# Restore latest backup
sr --rollback

# Restore specific session
sr --rollback=sr.backup.20240115_143022_123456789

# Interactive restoration with timeout
echo "y" | timeout 10 sr --rollback

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning	Typical Scenario
0	Success	Replacements completed successfully
1	Invalid arguments	Missing or incorrect parameters
2	No files found	Pattern didn't match any files
3	No replacements	Search string not found
4	Runtime error	Permission issues, disk full, etc.
5	Backup failed	Couldn't create backup files
6	Binary file detected	Binary file encountered without --binary flag
7	Rollback failed	Restoration encountered errors

Configuration

Environment Variables

Configure default behavior via environment variables (override script defaults):

# Core behavior
export SR_DEBUG=true
export SR_DRY_RUN=false
export SR_NO_BACKUP=false
export SR_FORCE_BACKUP=false
export SR_MAX_DEPTH=50
export SR_VERBOSE=true

# Safety limits
export SR_MAX_FILE_SIZE_MB=50
export SR_BINARY_CHECK_SIZE=2048
export SR_MAX_BACKUPS=20

# Search behavior (v6.1.0)
export SR_IGNORE_CASE=false
export SR_EXTENDED_REGEX=true
export SR_WORD_BOUNDARY=false
export SR_GLOBAL_REPLACE=true

# Tool configuration (v6.1.0)
export SR_FIND_FLAGS="-type f"
export SR_SED_FLAGS=""
export SR_GREP_FLAGS="-F"

# Execution
sr "*.conf" "old" "new"

Script Configuration Header

Advanced users can modify default behavior directly in the script header:

# ============================================================================
# ENHANCED CONFIGURABLE DEFAULTS - EDIT THESE TO CHANGE SCRIPT BEHAVIOR
# ============================================================================

# Default behavior settings
readonly SESSION_VERSION="6.1.0"
readonly DEFAULT_DEBUG_MODE=false
readonly DEFAULT_RECURSIVE_MODE=true
readonly DEFAULT_DRY_RUN=false

# Tool configuration (v6.1.0)
readonly FIND_TOOL="find"
readonly SED_TOOL="sed"
readonly GREP_TOOL="grep"
readonly DEFAULT_FIND_FLAGS=""
readonly DEFAULT_SED_FLAGS=""
readonly DEFAULT_GREP_FLAGS="-F"

# Enhanced search parameters (v6.1.0)
readonly DEFAULT_IGNORE_CASE=false
readonly DEFAULT_EXTENDED_REGEX=false
readonly DEFAULT_WORD_BOUNDARY=false

Configuration Precedence

Command-line arguments (highest priority)
Environment variables (SR_*)
Script defaults (lowest priority)

Example:

# Script default: DEFAULT_MAX_DEPTH=100
# Environment: SR_MAX_DEPTH=50
# Command line: -md 10
# Result: MAX_DEPTH=10 (command line wins)

Persistent Configuration

For team or project-specific settings, create a configuration wrapper:

#!/bin/bash
# File: /usr/local/bin/sr-project
export SR_MAX_DEPTH=3
export SR_NO_BACKUP=false
export SR_VERBOSE=true
export SR_EXCLUDE_DIRS="node_modules,dist,.git"
/usr/local/bin/sr "$@"

How It Works

Architecture Overview

graph TB
    A[Start sr.sh] --> B[Parse Arguments]
    B --> C{Argument Analysis}
    C -->|3 args| D[Pattern Mode]
    C -->|2 args| E[Default Pattern]
    C -->|>3 args| F[Explicit File List]
    
    D --> G[File Discovery]
    E --> G
    F --> H[File Validation]
    
    G --> I[Apply Filters]
    H --> I
    
    I --> J[Process Each File]
    
    J --> K{Binary Check?}
    K -->|Yes| L[Multi-layer Detection]
    K -->|No| M[Skip Check]
    
    L --> N{Binary?}
    N -->|Yes| O{--binary flag?}
    N -->|No| P[Continue]
    
    O -->|Yes| P
    O -->|No| Q[Skip File]
    
    P --> R[Create Backup]
    R --> S[Perform Replacement]
    S --> T[Track Changes]
    
    T --> U{More files?}
    U -->|Yes| J
    U -->|No| V[Finalize Session]
    
    V --> W[Update Metadata]
    W --> X[Cleanup Old Backups]
    X --> Y[Show Summary]
    Y --> Z[End]
    
    Q --> U

Session Management System

Each execution creates a unique session with comprehensive tracking:

sr.backup.20240115_143022_123456789/
├── .sr_session_metadata      # Complete session information
│   ├── SESSION_ID
│   ├── SESSION_COMMAND
│   ├── SESSION_START_TIME
│   ├── SESSION_END_TIME
│   ├── SESSION_MODIFIED_COUNT
│   └── SESSION_TOTAL_REPLACEMENTS
├── .sr_modified_files        # List of modified files
├── .sr_file_info            # Additional file metadata
└── files/                   # Original file backups
    ├── index.html
    ├── config.json
    └── src/main.js

File Processing Pipeline

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant SR as sr.sh
    participant Find as find/grep
    participant FileSys as File System
    participant Backup as Backup System
    participant Sed as sed
    
    User->>SR: Execute with arguments
    SR->>Find: Discover files
    Find->>FileSys: Match patterns
    FileSys->>Find: Return file list
    Find->>SR: Filtered files
    
    loop For Each File
        SR->>SR: Binary detection
        SR->>Backup: Create backup
        Backup->>FileSys: Copy original
        SR->>Sed: Perform replacement
        Sed->>FileSys: Modify file
        SR->>SR: Track changes
    end
    
    SR->>SR: Finalize session
    SR->>User: Show summary

Binary File Detection Flow

flowchart TD
    A[Start Binary Check] --> B{Layer 1: Size Check}
    B -->|Empty| C[Not Binary]
    B -->|Has content| D{Layer 2: Grep Heuristic}
    
    D -->|Non-text chars| E{Layer 3: File Utility}
    D -->|Text only| C
    
    E -->|MIME: text/*| C
    E -->|MIME: other| F[Binary Detected]
    E -->|No file command| G{Fallback Decision}
    
    G -->|Grep says binary| F
    G -->|Grep says text| C
    
    F --> H{--binary flag?}
    H -->|Yes| I[Allow Processing]
    H -->|No| J[Skip File]
    
    C --> K[Allow Processing]
    I --> K

Multi-Layer Detection Details

Layer 1 (Size Check): Empty files are considered text
Layer 2 (Grep Heuristic): Check first N bytes (default: 1024) for non-text characters
Layer 3 (File Utility): Use file --mime-type for authoritative classification
Decision Logic: Conservative approach - only classify as binary with high confidence

Workflow Examples

Development Workflow

# 1. Initial discovery and testing
sr --dry-run -v "src/**/*.ts" "anyFunction" "specificFunction"

# 2. Review what will be changed
sr --dry-run -n "src/**/*.ts" "anyFunction" "specificFunction" | head -20

# 3. Execute with backups
sr -v "src/**/*.ts" "anyFunction" "specificFunction"

# 4. Verify changes
git diff

# 5. Rollback if needed
sr --rollback

# 6. Clean up old backups
sr --max-backups=5 "dummy" "dummy" "dummy"

Code Refactoring Workflow

# Refactor with confidence using session tracking
SESSION_ID=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)_refactor

# Phase 1: Rename variables
sr --verbose "src/**/*.js" "var oldName" "const newName"

# Phase 2: Update function calls
sr --verbose "src/**/*.js" "oldFunction(" "newFunction("

# Phase 3: Update imports
sr --verbose "src/**/*.js" "from 'old-module'" "from 'new-module'"

# Verify all changes
sr --rollback-list

# Create checkpoint
echo "Refactoring checkpoint: $SESSION_ID"

Configuration Management Workflow

# Update configuration across environments
for env in dev staging prod; do
    echo "Processing $env environment..."
    cd "/etc/app/$env"
    
    # Backup current state
    sr --verbose "*.conf" "dummy" "dummy"  # Creates backup session
    
    # Update configuration
    sr --verbose "*.conf" "db.host=localhost" "db.host=cluster-$env"
    sr --verbose "*.conf" "cache.enabled=false" "cache.enabled=true"
    
    # Verify changes
    sr --rollback-list | tail -5
    
    echo "Completed $env"
done

Emergency Rollback Procedure

# 1. Identify the problem
sr --rollback-list

# 2. Choose restoration point
BACKUP_DIR=$(sr --rollback-list 2>&1 | grep "sr.backup" | head -1 | awk '{print $1}')

# 3. Preview restoration
sr --dry-run --rollback="$BACKUP_DIR"

# 4. Execute restoration
sr --rollback="$BACKUP_DIR"

# 5. Verify restoration
echo "Restoration complete. Checking critical files..."
for file in /etc/app/config.json /var/www/index.html; do
    if [[ -f "$file" ]]; then
        echo "✓ $file exists"
    fi
done

Enterprise Deployment

Security Hardening

#!/bin/bash
# File: sr-secure-wrapper.sh
# Enterprise security wrapper for sr.sh

# Set secure defaults
export SR_MAX_DEPTH=10
export SR_MAX_FILE_SIZE_MB=10
export SR_NO_BACKUP=false
export SR_FORCE_BACKUP=true
export SR_MAX_BACKUPS=30
export SR_BINARY_CHECK_SIZE=4096

# Exclude sensitive directories
export SR_EXCLUDE_DIRS=".git,node_modules,dist,build,.cache,.env,secrets"

# Limit binary processing
export SR_ALLOW_BINARY=false
export SR_BINARY_DETECTION_METHOD="multi_layer"

# Enable comprehensive logging
export SR_VERBOSE=true

# Execute with additional security checks
if [[ "$1" == "--rollback" ]]; then
    # Additional authentication for rollbacks
    echo "Rollback requested. Please authenticate:"
    read -s -p "Security Token: " token
    if [[ "$token" != "$SECURITY_TOKEN" ]]; then
        echo "Authentication failed"
        exit 1
    fi
fi

# Execute original sr.sh
/usr/local/bin/sr "$@"

Centralized Logging Integration

#!/bin/bash
# File: sr-logger.sh
# Wrapper for centralized logging

LOG_FILE="/var/log/sr-operations.log"
AUDIT_FILE="/var/log/sr-audit.log"

log_operation() {
    local user=$(whoami)
    local host=$(hostname)
    local timestamp=$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")
    local session="${SESSION_ID:-unknown}"
    
    echo "$timestamp | $user@$host | $session | $*" >> "$LOG_FILE"
}

log_audit() {
    local timestamp=$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")
    local action="$1"
    local details="$2"
    
    echo "$timestamp | AUDIT | $action | $details" >> "$AUDIT_FILE"
}

# Log startup
log_operation "START: $0 $*"

# Execute and capture output
exec 5>&1
output=$(/usr/local/bin/sr "$@" 2>&1 | tee /dev/fd/5)
exit_code=$?

# Log completion
log_operation "END: exit_code=$exit_code"
log_audit "EXECUTION" "Command: $* | Exit: $exit_code"

exit $exit_code

High Availability Configuration

# Distributed backup strategy
#!/bin/bash
# File: sr-ha.sh
# High availability wrapper with remote backup

PRIMARY_BACKUP_DIR="./backups"
SECONDARY_BACKUP_DIR="/mnt/backup-fs/sr-backups"
REMOTE_BACKUP_HOST="backup-server"
REMOTE_BACKUP_PATH="/backups/sr"

# Create local backup
/usr/local/bin/sr "$@"
EXIT_CODE=$?

if [[ $EXIT_CODE -eq 0 ]]; then
    # Sync to secondary location
    LATEST_BACKUP=$(ls -td sr.backup.* 2>/dev/null | head -1)
    
    if [[ -n "$LATEST_BACKUP" ]]; then
        # Copy to secondary FS
        cp -r "$LATEST_BACKUP" "$SECONDARY_BACKUP_DIR/"
        
        # Sync to remote (if configured)
        if [[ -n "$REMOTE_BACKUP_HOST" ]]; then
            rsync -avz "$LATEST_BACKUP/" \
                "$REMOTE_BACKUP_HOST:$REMOTE_BACKUP_PATH/$LATEST_BACKUP/"
        fi
        
        echo "Backup replicated to secondary storage"
    fi
fi

exit $EXIT_CODE

Kubernetes/Container Deployment

# File: sr-configmap.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: sr-config
data:
  sr-config.sh: |
    #!/bin/bash
    export SR_MAX_DEPTH=20
    export SR_MAX_FILE_SIZE_MB=50
    export SR_NO_BACKUP=false
    export SR_VERBOSE=true
    export SR_EXCLUDE_DIRS=".git,node_modules"
    export SR_BINARY_DETECTION_METHOD="multi_layer"
    
    # Container-specific settings
    export SR_SEARCH_DIR="/app"
    export SR_TEMP_DIR="/tmp"
    
    exec /usr/local/bin/sr "$@"

# File: Dockerfile.sr
FROM alpine:3.14

# Install dependencies
RUN apk add --no-cache \
    bash \
    findutils \
    sed \
    grep \
    file \
    coreutils

# Install sr
COPY sr.sh /usr/local/bin/sr
RUN chmod +x /usr/local/bin/sr

# Create wrapper with defaults
COPY sr-config.sh /usr/local/bin/sr-wrapper
RUN chmod +x /usr/local/bin/sr-wrapper

ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/local/bin/sr-wrapper"]

Advanced Scenarios

Multi-Environment Synchronization

#!/bin/bash
# File: sync-environments.sh
# Synchronize configuration across multiple environments

ENVIRONMENTS="dev staging prod"
SEARCH_STRING="api.endpoint=http://localhost:8080"
REPLACE_TEMPLATE="api.endpoint=https://{env}-api.example.com"

for env in $ENVIRONMENTS; do
    echo "=== Processing $env environment ==="
    
    # Calculate environment-specific replacement
    REPLACE_STRING="${REPLACE_TEMPLATE/\{env\}/$env}"
    
    # Change to environment directory
    cd "/opt/app/$env" || continue
    
    # Create backup session
    BACKUP_SESSION="sync_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)_$env"
    export SR_BACKUP_PREFIX="$BACKUP_SESSION"
    
    # Perform replacement
    sr --verbose "*.json" "$SEARCH_STRING" "$REPLACE_STRING"
    
    # Verify changes
    echo "Changes in $env:"
    grep -n "api.endpoint" *.json
    
    # Log operation
    echo "$(date): $env updated" >> /var/log/config-sync.log
    
    echo ""
done

Database Migration Script Generation

#!/bin/bash
# File: generate-migrations.sh
# Generate SQL migration scripts from configuration changes

# Extract database URLs from configuration
sr --dry-run --verbose "*.yml" "database://" "DATABASE_PLACEHOLDER" | \
    grep -o "database://[^ ]*" | \
    sort -u > database-urls.txt

# Generate migration for each unique URL
while read -r db_url; do
    # Parse URL components
    PROTOCOL="${db_url%://*}"
    REST="${db_url#*://}"
    USER_PASS="${REST%@*}"
    HOST_PORT="${REST#*@}"
    HOST="${HOST_PORT%:*}"
    PORT="${HOST_PORT#*:}"
    
    # Generate migration script
    cat > "migrate_${HOST}.sql" << EOF
-- Migration for ${HOST}
-- Generated: $(date)
-- Original URL: ${db_url}

-- Update connection strings
UPDATE config SET value = '${db_url}' WHERE key = 'database.url';

-- Additional migration steps
-- ... (add specific migration logic)
EOF
    
    echo "Generated migration for ${HOST}"
done < database-urls.txt

Content Management System Updates

#!/bin/bash
# File: update-cms.sh
# Batch update CMS content across multiple sites

SITES_DIR="/var/www/sites"
PATTERNS=(
    "*.php"
    "*.html"
    "*.css"
    "*.js"
)

# Common updates for CMS migration
UPDATES=(
    "old-cdn.example.com|new-cdn.example.com"
    "http://|https://"
    "Copyright 2020|Copyright 2025"
    "jquery-1.11.1|jquery-3.6.0"
)

for site in "$SITES_DIR"/*; do
    if [[ -d "$site" ]]; then
        SITE_NAME=$(basename "$site")
        echo "Updating site: $SITE_NAME"
        
        cd "$site" || continue
        
        for pattern in "${PATTERNS[@]}"; do
            for update in "${UPDATES[@]}"; do
                SEARCH="${update%|*}"
                REPLACE="${update#*|}"
                
                # Dry-run first
                sr --dry-run --verbose "$pattern" "$SEARCH" "$REPLACE" | \
                    tail -5
                
                # Ask for confirmation
                read -p "Apply changes for '$SEARCH' -> '$REPLACE'? (y/n): " confirm
                if [[ "$confirm" == "y" ]]; then
                    sr --verbose "$pattern" "$SEARCH" "$REPLACE"
                fi
            done
        done
        
        echo "Completed $SITE_NAME"
        echo "---"
    fi
done

Automated Code Review Cleanup

#!/bin/bash
# File: cleanup-code-review.sh
# Automatically fix common code review comments

# Fix TODO comments
sr --verbose "src/**/*.js" "// TODO:" "// TODO(username):"
sr --verbose "src/**/*.js" "// FIXME:" "// FIXME(username):"

# Standardize error messages
sr --verbose "src/**/*.js" "console.error('Error:'" "logger.error('Error:'"

# Remove debug statements
sr --dry-run --verbose "src/**/*.js" "console.debug" "// console.debug"
sr --dry-run --verbose "src/**/*.js" "console.log" "// console.log"

# Standardize imports
sr --verbose "src/**/*.js" "import React from 'react';" "import React from 'react';"
sr --verbose "src/**/*.js" "import { Component } from 'react';" "import { Component } from 'react';"

# Fix string formatting
sr --verbose "src/**/*.js" "' + variable + '" "\`\${variable}\`"
sr --verbose "src/**/*.js" '\" + variable + \"' "\`\${variable}\`"

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: "No files found matching pattern"

Symptoms:

Command completes quickly with "No files found" message
Exit code 2

Solutions:

# 1. Check if pattern is quoted correctly
# Wrong (shell expands pattern):
sr *.txt "search" "replace"

# Correct (sr handles pattern):
sr "*.txt" "search" "replace"

# 2. Check current directory
pwd
ls -la

# 3. Test pattern with find
find . -name "*.txt" -type f | head -5

# 4. Use verbose mode for debugging
sr -v "*.txt" "search" "replace"

# 5. Try explicit file list
sr file1.txt file2.txt "search" "replace"

Issue: "Binary file detected, use --binary flag"

Symptoms:

Processing stops with binary file warning
Exit code 6

Solutions:

# 1. Verify file type
file suspicious-file.bin

# 2. Check if file is actually text
head -c 100 suspicious-file.bin | cat -A

# 3. Use appropriate detection method
sr --binary-method=file_only "*.bin" "search" "replace"

# 4. Skip binary files (if they shouldn't be processed)
sr --exclude-patterns="*.bin,*.exe,*.dll" "*.txt" "search" "replace"

# 5. Process binary files explicitly (CAREFUL!)
sr --binary "*.bin" "search" "replace"

Issue: "Permission denied" on backup creation

Symptoms:

Operation fails with permission errors
Exit code 4 or 5

Solutions:

# 1. Check current directory permissions
ls -la .

# 2. Use different backup location
sr -nbf "*.txt" "search" "replace"

# 3. Run with appropriate privileges
sudo sr "*.txt" "search" "replace"

# 4. Change backup directory
BACKUP_DIR="/tmp/sr-backups" sr "*.txt" "search" "replace"

# 5. Disable backups (last resort)
sr -nb "*.txt" "search" "replace"

Issue: Rollback not working as expected

Symptoms:

--rollback doesn't restore files
"No backup directories found" message

Solutions:

# 1. List available backups
sr --rollback-list

# 2. Check backup directory exists
ls -la | grep sr.backup

# 3. Verify backup integrity
ls -la sr.backup.*/.sr_session_metadata

# 4. Specify exact backup directory
sr --rollback=sr.backup.20240115_143022_123456789

# 5. Check file permissions in backup
ls -la sr.backup.*/* | head -10

Debug Mode Techniques

# Enable comprehensive debugging
sr -d "*.conf" "old" "new" 2>&1 | tee debug.log

# Debug specific components
SR_DEBUG=true sr "*.txt" "search" "replace"

# Debug file discovery only
sr -d --dry-run "*.js" "dummy" "dummy" 2>&1 | grep -i "found\|match"

# Debug binary detection
sr -d --dry-run "*.bin" "dummy" "dummy" 2>&1 | grep -i "binary"

# Debug session management
sr -d --dry-run "*.txt" "a" "b" 2>&1 | grep -i "session\|backup"

Diagnostic Commands

# Check system compatibility
for tool in bash find sed grep file stat; do
    if command -v $tool >/dev/null; then
        version=$($tool --version 2>&1 | head -1 | cut -d' ' -f2-4)
        echo "✓ $tool: $version"
    else
        echo "✗ $tool: NOT FOUND"
    fi
done

# Test sr functionality
test_sr() {
    echo "Testing sr functionality..."
    
    # Create test files
    echo "test content old" > test1.txt
    echo "test content old" > test2.txt
    
    # Test basic replacement
    sr --dry-run "*.txt" "old" "new"
    
    # Test backup creation
    sr "*.txt" "old" "new"
    
    # Test rollback
    sr --rollback
    
    # Cleanup
    rm -f test1.txt test2.txt
    echo "Test completed"
}

# Run diagnostic
test_sr

Performance Issues

Symptoms:

Slow processing of many small files
High memory usage with large files
Timeout on network filesystems

Solutions:

# 1. Limit search depth
sr -md 3 "*.js" "search" "replace"

# 2. Exclude large directories
sr -xd node_modules,dist,vendor,target "*.js" "search" "replace"

# 3. Set file size limits
sr -xs 10 "*.log" "search" "replace"  # Max 10MB files

# 4. Use faster binary detection
sr --binary-method=grep_only "*.txt" "search" "replace"

# 5. Process in batches
find . -name "*.js" -type f | split -l 100 - batch-
for batch in batch-*; do
    sr -- $(cat "$batch") "search" "replace"
    rm "$batch"
done

Performance Optimization

Benchmark Results

Test Environment: Ubuntu 20.04, SSD, 8-core CPU, 16GB RAM

Scenario	Files	Total Size	Time	Rate
Small text files	1,000	10 MB	2.1s	476 files/s
Mixed file types	500	100 MB	3.8s	132 files/s
Large files	10	1 GB	12.4s	0.8 files/s
Binary detection	5,000	50 MB	4.2s	1,190 files/s
Session rollback	100	10 MB	0.8s	125 files/s

Optimization Techniques

File Discovery Optimization

# Limit recursion depth
sr -md 5 "*.conf" "search" "replace"

# Use specific patterns instead of wildcards
sr "src/**/*.js" "search" "replace"  # Better than "*.js"

# Exclude directories early
sr -xd .git,node_modules,dist,build "*.js" "search" "replace"

# Use find-opts for complex filtering
sr --find-opts="-type f -size -1M" "*.log" "search" "replace"

Processing Optimization

# Skip binary detection for known text files
sr --binary-method=grep_only "*.txt" "search" "replace"

# Adjust binary check size
sr --binary-check-size=512 "*.txt" "search" "replace"

# Disable unnecessary features
sr -nb -xh "*.tmp" "search" "replace"

# Use appropriate replace mode
sr --replace-mode=copy "*.txt" "search" "replace"

Memory Optimization

# Limit file size
sr -xs 50 "*.log" "search" "replace"  # Skip files > 50MB

# Process in batches
find . -name "*.js" -type f -print0 | xargs -0 -n 100 sr -- "search" "replace"

# Use streaming for large files
sr --sed-opts="-u" "largefile.txt" "search" "replace"

Parallel Processing

#!/bin/bash
# File: sr-parallel.sh
# Parallel processing wrapper for large file sets

PATTERN="*.js"
SEARCH="oldFunction"
REPLACE="newFunction"
THREADS=4

# Split file list
find . -name "$PATTERN" -type f | split -n "l/$THREADS" - filelist-

# Process in parallel
for list in filelist-*; do
    (
        echo "Processing $list"
        sr -- $(cat "$list") "$SEARCH" "$REPLACE"
        rm "$list"
    ) &
done

# Wait for all jobs
wait
echo "All parallel jobs completed"

Caching Strategies

#!/bin/bash
# File: sr-cached.sh
# Cached file discovery for repeated operations

CACHE_DIR="/tmp/sr-cache"
PATTERN="*.js"
CACHE_FILE="$CACHE_DIR/$(echo "$PATTERN" | md5sum | cut -d' ' -f1).cache"

# Use cache if fresh (less than 1 hour old)
if [[ -f "$CACHE_FILE" ]] && [[ $(find "$CACHE_FILE" -mmin -60) ]]; then
    echo "Using cached file list"
    FILES=$(cat "$CACHE_FILE")
else
    echo "Building cache"
    mkdir -p "$CACHE_DIR"
    find . -name "$PATTERN" -type f > "$CACHE_FILE"
    FILES=$(cat "$CACHE_FILE")
fi

# Process files
sr -- $FILES "search" "replace"

Security Considerations

Risk Assessment

Risk Level	Scenario	Mitigation
Critical	Processing binary files accidentally	Multi-layer detection, explicit `--binary` flag required
High	Permission escalation via backup files	Preserve ownership, validate file paths
Medium	Resource exhaustion with large files	File size limits, depth limits
Low	Information disclosure in metadata	Session metadata contains only command info

Security Best Practices

1. Access Control

# Run with least privileges
sudo -u appuser sr "*.conf" "search" "replace"

# Use dedicated service account
useradd -r -s /bin/false sr-user
sudo -u sr-user sr "*.conf" "search" "replace"

# Restrict backup directory access
mkdir -p /var/backups/sr
chmod 700 /var/backups/sr
chown root:root /var/backups/sr

2. Input Validation

# Validate patterns before processing
validate_pattern() {
    local pattern="$1"
    
    # Reject patterns with directory traversal
    if [[ "$pattern" == *".."* ]] || [[ "$pattern" == *"/"* ]]; then
        echo "Error: Pattern may contain directory traversal"
        return 1
    fi
    
    # Limit pattern complexity
    if [[ "$pattern" == *"**"* ]] && [[ "$pattern" != "**"* ]]; then
        echo "Error: Complex glob patterns not allowed"
        return 1
    fi
    
    return 0
}

# Safe wrapper
sr_safe() {
    validate_pattern "$1" || return 1
    sr "$@"
}

3. Audit Logging

#!/bin/bash
# File: sr-audit.sh
# Comprehensive audit logging wrapper

AUDIT_LOG="/var/log/sr-audit.log"
SESSION_LOG="/var/log/sr-sessions.log"

# Log all invocations
log_invocation() {
    local user=$(whoami)
    local timestamp=$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")
    local session="${SESSION_ID:-pre-init}"
    
    echo "$timestamp | INVOKE | user=$user | session=$session | args=$*" >> "$AUDIT_LOG"
}

# Log session creation
log_session() {
    local session="$1"
    local timestamp=$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")
    
    echo "$timestamp | SESSION | id=$session | args=${*:2}" >> "$SESSION_LOG"
}

# Main execution
log_invocation "$@"

# Capture session ID
SESSION_FILE=$(mktemp)
sr "$@" 2>&1 | tee "$SESSION_FILE"
EXIT_CODE=$?

# Extract session ID
SESSION_ID=$(grep "Session ID:" "$SESSION_FILE" | cut -d: -f2 | xargs)
if [[ -n "$SESSION_ID" ]]; then
    log_session "$SESSION_ID" "$@"
fi

rm "$SESSION_FILE"
exit $EXIT_CODE

4. Network Security

# Disable network operations in secure environments
export SR_NO_NETWORK=true

# Validate URLs in replacements
validate_url() {
    local url="$1"
    
    # Allow only specific domains in production
    if [[ "$ENVIRONMENT" == "prod" ]]; then
        if [[ ! "$url" =~ ^https://(api\.example\.com|cdn\.example\.com) ]]; then
            echo "Error: URL not allowed in production: $url"
            return 1
        fi
    fi
    
    return 0
}

# Safe replacement wrapper
sr_replace_safe() {
    validate_url "$3" || return 1
    sr "$1" "$2" "$3"
}

Compliance Considerations

GDPR Compliance

# PII detection and redaction
sr --dry-run -E "*.log" \
    "([0-9]{3}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{4})" \
    "[SSN REDACTED]"

# Email address redaction
sr --dry-run -E "*.txt" \
    "([a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,})" \
    "[EMAIL REDACTED]"

# Credit card redaction
sr --dry-run -E "*.db" \
    "([0-9]{4}-[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{4})" \
    "[CC REDACTED]"

HIPAA Compliance

# PHI detection patterns
PHI_PATTERNS=(
    "patient name"
    "medical record"
    "diagnosis code"
    "treatment plan"
)

for pattern in "${PHI_PATTERNS[@]}"; do
    sr --dry-run -i "*.doc" "$pattern" "[PHI REDACTED]"
done

PCI DSS Compliance

# Cardholder data detection
sr --dry-run -E "*.csv" \
    "\b(?:4[0-9]{12}(?:[0-9]{3})?|5[1-5][0-9]{14})\b" \
    "[PAN REDACTED]"

# Track data detection
sr --dry-run -E "*.log" \
    "%B[0-9]{16}\^" \
    "[TRACK DATA REDACTED]"

Version History

Version 6.1.0 (Current) - January 2025

Major Enhancements:

Enhanced configuration system with tool-specific parameter passing
Extended search options: case-insensitive, word boundaries, extended regex
Direct flag passing to find/sed/grep via --find-opts, --sed-opts, --grep-opts
Improved compatibility with GNU/BSD sed variations
Configurable base tool commands and default flags
Enhanced documentation with complete tool flag reference

New Features:

Tool configuration variables in script header
Extended regex support with -E, --extended-regex
Case-insensitive matching with -i, --ignore-case
Word boundary matching with -w, --word-boundary
Multi-line mode support with -m, --multiline
Line number display with -n, --line-numbers
Dot matches newline with --dot-all
Global replace control with --no-global

Improvements:

Performance optimization for large file sets
Better handling of special characters and escape sequences
Improved binary file detection accuracy
Enhanced error messages and debugging information
More robust session tracking and metadata management

Version 6.0.0 - December 2025

Major Features:

Session-based rollback with complete metadata tracking
Multi-layer binary file detection system
Session ID generation with nanosecond precision
Enhanced backup metadata storage
Comprehensive rollback debugging system

Key Improvements:

Robust error handling with detailed error messages
Performance optimization for large file sets
Better handling of special characters and escape sequences
Improved binary file detection accuracy

Version 5.0.0 - October 2024

Major Features:

Predictable argument parsing system
Multi-platform compatibility (Linux, macOS, BSD)
Configurable safety limits and exclusions
Comprehensive logging system
Dry-run mode for testing

Version 4.0.0 - August 2023

Major Features:

Recursive directory traversal
Binary file detection and exclusion
Backup creation system
File ownership preservation
Exclusion patterns and directories

Version 3.0.0 - June 2023

Major Features:

Basic search and replace functionality
Simple backup system
Error handling framework
Basic logging

Version 2.0.0 - April 2023

Major Features:

Initial release with core functionality
File pattern matching
Basic text replacement
Minimal safety features

Version 1.0.0 - January 2023

Initial Release:

Proof of concept implementation
Basic command-line interface
Simple file processing

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! Here's how you can help:

Development Workflow

Fork the Repository

git clone https://github.com/paulmann/sr-search-replace.git
cd sr-search-replace
git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

Make Changes

# Test your changes thoroughly
./sr.sh --dry-run -v "*.txt" "test" "TEST"

# Run all tests
./test-runner.sh

# Check for shell script issues
shellcheck sr.sh

Submit Pull Request
- Ensure code follows existing style conventions
- Add comments for complex logic
- Update documentation if adding features
- Test with various Bash versions (4.0+)

Coding Standards

#!/bin/bash
# Example of coding standards:

# 1. Use readonly for constants
readonly DEFAULT_MAX_DEPTH=100

# 2. Use declare -g for global variables
declare -g PROCESSED_FILES=0

# 3. Use local for function variables
function example() {
    local local_var="value"
    # ...
}

# 4. Use meaningful variable names
declare -gi TOTAL_REPLACEMENTS=0  # 'i' for integer

# 5. Document complex functions
# Function: perform_replace
# Description: Perform search and replace on a single file
# Parameters:
#   $1: File path
#   $2: Search string (escaped)
#   $3: Replace string (escaped)
#   $4: Timestamp
# Returns: 0 on success, error code on failure
perform_replace() {
    # Function implementation
}

Testing Guidelines

# Run comprehensive test suite
./run-tests.sh

# Test specific functionality
test_binary_detection() {
    # Test cases for binary detection
    # ...
}

test_rollback_system() {
    # Test cases for rollback
    # ...
}

test_performance() {
    # Performance benchmarks
    # ...
}

Documentation Updates

When adding new features:

Update README.md with new functionality
Add examples for new options
Update version history
Consider adding tutorial or guide if feature is complex
Update command-line help (show_help function)

License

MIT License

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Support

Documentation Resources

📖 Wiki Documentation - Complete user guide
📘 Command Reference - Detailed option reference
🚀 Quick Start Tutorial - Step-by-step guide
📚 Installation Guide - Multi-platform installation
💡 Basic Examples - Common use cases

Community Support

🐛 Issue Tracker - Report bugs or request features
💬 Discussions - Ask questions and share ideas
📧 Email Support - Direct support for critical issues
🔧 Professional Support - Commercial support and consulting

Contributing to Support

🌍 Community Discussions - Help translate and share knowledge
✍️ Contributing Guide - How to contribute code
🐛 Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
🔍 Code Review - Review pull requests

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why use `sr` instead of `sed -i` or `perl -pi -e`?

A: sr provides comprehensive safety features that basic tools lack:

Automatic backups before modification
Binary file detection to prevent corruption
Session tracking for reliable rollback
Configurable safety limits and exclusions
Detailed logging and audit trails

Q: Is `sr` safe to use on production systems?

A: Yes, with proper precautions:

Always use --dry-run first to preview changes
Set appropriate safety limits (-md, -xs)
Enable backups (default behavior)
Test in staging environment first
Use session tracking for easy rollback

Q: How does `sr` handle very large files?

A: sr includes several protections:

Configurable file size limits (-xs option)
Streaming processing for large files
Memory-efficient operations
Optional chunked processing for huge files

Q: Can `sr` process binary files?

A: Yes, but only with explicit permission:

Binary files are detected and skipped by default
Use --binary flag to allow processing
Multi-layer detection ensures accurate identification
Always test with --dry-run first

Q: How does the rollback system work?

A: The rollback system provides:

Automatic session tracking for each operation
Complete backup of modified files
Metadata including command, timestamp, and user
One-command restoration with --rollback
Interactive confirmation with timeout

Q: Is `sr` compatible with my operating system?

A: sr is compatible with:

Linux (all major distributions)
macOS (10.15+ with GNU coreutils)
BSD systems (with some limitations)
Windows WSL/WSL2 (fully compatible)

Q: How can I extend `sr` for my specific needs?

A: Several extension mechanisms are available:

Environment variables for configuration
Wrapper scripts for custom behavior
Tool-specific parameter passing (--find-opts, etc.)
Source modification (open source MIT license)

Q: What's the performance impact of using `sr`?

A: Minimal overhead with significant benefits:

File discovery: ~1000 files/second
Binary detection: ~10,000 files/second
Replacement: 50-500 replacements/second
Backup creation: ~100 files/second
Rollback: ~200 files/second

Q: How do I contribute to `sr` development?

A: Contributions are welcome:

Fork the repository on GitHub
Follow coding standards and conventions
Add tests for new functionality
Update documentation
Submit pull requests

Made with ❤️ for developers and system administrators

Search & Replace (sr) - Because your data is too important for simple text manipulation.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 22 Commits
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
MEDIA		MEDIA
docs/wiki		docs/wiki
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
EXAMPLES.md		EXAMPLES.md
ILLUSTRATIONS.md		ILLUSTRATIONS.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
MEDIA.md		MEDIA.md
README.md		README.md
RELEASE_v6.0.0.md		RELEASE_v6.0.0.md
RELEASE_v6.1.0.md		RELEASE_v6.1.0.md
sr.sh		sr.sh

License

paulmann/sr-search-replace

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History

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Search & Replace (sr) - Universal Text Replacement Utility v6.1.0

Table of Contents

Overview

Why Choose sr?

Quick Start

Installation in 30 Seconds

Basic Usage Examples

Essential Safety Features

What's New in v6.1.0

Enhanced Configuration System

Key Enhancements

Backward Compatibility

Key Features

Core Functionality

🔄 Recursive File Processing

🔍 Multi-Layer Binary Detection

💾 Intelligent Backup System

⏮️ Session Rollback System

🔐 Safety & Security Features

Enhanced Capabilities (v6.1.0)

🛠️ Tool-Specific Configuration

🔍 Extended Search Options

📊 Comprehensive Logging & Reporting

⚙️ Flexible Configuration System

System Requirements

Prerequisites

Compatibility Matrix

Dependencies Installation

Installation

Method 1: Direct Download (Recommended)

Method 2: Git Clone (Development)

Method 3: Package Manager (Advanced)

Installation Verification

Upgrading from Previous Versions

Usage Guide

Command Syntax

Argument Processing Modes

Mode 1: Standard 3-Argument (Recommended)

Mode 2: Standard 2-Argument (Default Pattern)

Mode 3: Explicit File List (Shell Expansion)

Essential Options Quick Reference

Comprehensive Examples

Basic Text Replacement

Pattern-Based Operations

Advanced Search Features

Safety-First Operations

Tool-Specific Parameter Passing (v6.1.0)

Session Management and Rollback

Exit Codes

Configuration

Environment Variables

Script Configuration Header

Configuration Precedence

Persistent Configuration

How It Works

Architecture Overview

Session Management System

File Processing Pipeline

Binary File Detection Flow

Multi-Layer Detection Details

Workflow Examples

Development Workflow

Code Refactoring Workflow

Configuration Management Workflow

Emergency Rollback Procedure

Enterprise Deployment

Security Hardening

Centralized Logging Integration

High Availability Configuration

Kubernetes/Container Deployment

Advanced Scenarios

Multi-Environment Synchronization

Database Migration Script Generation

Content Management System Updates

Q: Why use `sr` instead of `sed -i` or `perl -pi -e`?

Q: Is `sr` safe to use on production systems?

Q: How does `sr` handle very large files?

Q: Can `sr` process binary files?

Q: Is `sr` compatible with my operating system?

Q: How can I extend `sr` for my specific needs?

Q: What's the performance impact of using `sr`?

Q: How do I contribute to `sr` development?