Ubuntu – How to print values in a text file to columnated file using shell script

It can be done with a python script, with one sidenote: I took the modification date instead of the creation date, since the creation date will almost certainly not match the real creation date: it is the date the file was copied to the computer, while the modification date seems unchanged during copying (see discussion at @cOrps answer). You will have to see if it works in your situation.

If that is acceptable for you, you can use the script below to create a combined file with your notes. It reads the notes, sorts them and appends them to a text file (creates it if it doesn't exist).

The good news is that you can append your new notes to the same file without overwriting the old ones.

Example output:

Mon Sep 29 08:48:31 2014
This is my first note.
As you can read, I am not really awake yet.

----------
Mon Sep 29 09:04:06 2014
It is really time I am going to eat something.
I am a bit hungry.
Making it a bit longer.

----------

How to use:

• Copy the script below into an empty file, save it as add_notes.py
• change the directories for files_dir (where your notes are) and the file in which you want to save the notes: combined_file (the script creates the file if it doesn't exist)

• run the script in a terminal window by typing the command:

  python3 /path/to/add_notes.py
  

The script:

#!/usr/bin/env python3

import os
import time
import subprocess

# --------------------------------------------------------
files_dir = "/path/to/your/textfiles"
combined_file = "/path/to/your/combined/file.txt"
# ---------------------------------------------------------
notes = []

if not os.path.exists(combined_file):
    subprocess.Popen(["touch", combined_file])

def read_file(file):
    with open(file) as note:
        return note.read()

def append_file(combined_file, text):
    with open(combined_file, "a") as notes:
        notes.write(text)

for root, dirs, files in os.walk(files_dir):
    for name in files:
        subject = root+"/"+name
        cr_date_text = time.ctime(os.path.getmtime(subject))
        cr_date_n = os.stat(subject).st_mtime
        notes.append((cr_date_n, cr_date_text, subject))

notes.sort(key=lambda x: x[0])

for note in notes:
    text = note[1]+"\n"+read_file(note[2])+"\n"+"-"*10+"\n"
    append_file(combined_file, text)

You can use sleep and clear commands in your script as following:

for word in $(< read)
do
    echo "$word"
    sleep 1
    clear
done

Explanation:

The sleep command make delay for a specified amount of time (in seconds). With sleep 1 delay would be for 1 second. You can change for more time delay by incrementing the second parameter or for delaying less than 1 second divide it to low units; Like sleep .1 for 1/10 second delay or sleep .001 for 1/1000 second delay and etc.

The clear command clear the terminal screen.

Even better you can do this through below awk command:

awk '{i=1; while(i<=NF){ print $((i++)); system("sleep 1; clear") }}' read

Explanation:

In awk, the NF specifies the total number of fields in the current input record/line, so by using a variable as a counter (i) and looping over it, we are printing all of them from 1st position to the end of them (NF). Then by using the system("sleep 1; clear") part, we are telling to awk to calling the system commands to sleeping for 1 second and clearing the screen.

In above we are displaying the input file as word by word. If you are going to display it line by line add IFS=$'\n' in the script like:

IFS=$'\n'
for word in $(< read)
do
    echo "$word"
    sleep 1
    clear
done

And change the awk command like:

awk '{ $0; system("sleep 1; clear") }1' read

• $0 specifies the current line. and the 1 on end enables the default awk's print command.