Why can't I replace a specific string with sed?

Question

I want to replace the specific string memory_limit = 128M with memory_limit = 512M in the file /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini:

sed 's/memory_limit = 128M/memory_limit = 512M/g'  /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini

Why doesn't the command work?

Possible duplicate of [Find and replace text within a file using commands](http://askubuntu.com/questions/20414/find-and-replace-text-within-a-file-using-commands) — kos, Oct 09 '15 at 11:42
The command works to me. What error are you getting? Note this is going to show the replacement in the screen; if you want to replace in place, say `sed -i.bak ...` so that the original will be replaced and you will also have a safety copy with a .bak extension — fedorqui, Oct 09 '15 at 11:47
sed -i 's/memory_limit = 128M/memory_limit = 512M/g' /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini — showkey, Oct 09 '15 at 12:37

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 09 '15 at 11:51

3

Just use sed -i to change the file in place.

answered Oct 09 '15 at 11:51

schlady

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 16 '16 at 19:35

0

You can use Vim in Ex mode:

ex -sc '/memory_limit = /s/128/512/|x' /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini

answered Apr 16 '16 at 19:35

Zombo

2 Answers2