Replace only the first occurrence of a character using SED 2

[JtheRipper]

Hi there,

I have a string that looks something like this (this string does not always look the same):
apps1: d: (backup) failed 10:22:33

I would like to replace only the first occurrence of the ":" with a comma so that it looks as follows:
apps1, d: (backup) failed 10:22:33

I know I can use SED to replace the ":" with ",", but it will replace ALL ":"'s with a comma.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
J.

 

[PHV]

Don't use the g flag in the s[/s] command:
s/:/,/

Hope This Helps, PH.
Want to get great answers to your Tek-Tips questions? Have a look at FAQ219-2884 or FAQ222-2244

 

[JtheRipper]

Thanks PH!

Who would have thought it will be this simple....
Have a star.

J.

 

[SamBones]

You can also specify a number in case it's not the first occurance you want to replace. That is, say you wanted to replace the third occurance...

s/:/,/3

Hope this helps.

 

[JtheRipper]

Thanks SamBones, did not know that...very usefull.

J.