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BASH - Get a SubString

Format

${var:start_position:length}

var="abcdefgh"
 
echo ${#var:0}

returns:

abcdefgh

NOTE: The colon specifies the start position.

Here, 0 means no limit, and returns everything.

var="abcdefgh"
 
echo ${#var:3}

returns:

defgh

NOTE: This 3 specifies to start from position 3.

var="abcdefgh"
 
echo ${#var:3:2}

returns:

de

NOTE: This starts at position 3; and then returns the next 2 characters.

var="abcdefgh"
 
echo ${#var:0:2}

returns:

ab

NOTE: This starts at position 0; and then returns the next 2 characters.

cut can be used to ‘cut’ a portion of a string, aka the substring.

#!/bin/bash
Str="My name is Peter"
#subStr=${Str:0:6}
 
subStr=$(echo $Str| cut -d ' ' -f 1-3)
echo $subStr