[ale] Bash question

[fletch at phydeaux.org (Fletch)]

>>>>> "esoteric" == esoteric  <Geoffrey> writes:

    esoteric> Understanding that this was originally a bash question,
    esoteric> I'd suggest Perl is really the proper tool.  I'm just
    esoteric> waiting for Fletch to chime in here... :)


        Well, if you're going to twist my arm . . .


perl -e '$/="=*\n";while(<>){rand($.)<1&&do{chomp;$l=$_}}print$l' data        


        That presumes that the "=*\n" delimiter follows items (yours
basically had it preceding it, so you get an empty first record).
It's basically the same format as fortune data files (which use "%\n"
instead; see man strfile, man fortune; replacing "=*\n" with "%\n"
gives you a poor man's fortune replacement).  As for an explanation
what it's doing, see perldoc -q 'random line'.


        Not that I in any way condone automatically sending people
jokes via email.  Come on, it's not the late 1980s any more. :)

-- 
Fletch                | "If you find my answers frightening,       __`'/|
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