change colour of `echo` for particular line in shell script in Linux?

Question

I want to change the colour of echo for a particular statement in a Linux shell script

example :

  echo "invalid entries"
  echo "valid entries"
  echo "valid entry"

I want the red color for echo "invalid entries" statement; the rest of them should be same as the default color.

What's the result of `echotc Co`? – jimmij Aug 06 '15 at 15:39 — jimmij, Aug 06 '15 at 15:39

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 06 '15 at 14:12

3

Use tput to get the control sequences (if they exist) for the user's terminal:

red="`tput setaf 1`"
green="`tput setaf 2`"
cyan="`tput setaf 6`"
bold="`tput bold`"
norm="`tput sgr0`"

echo "${red}invalid entries${norm}"
echo "valid entries"
echo "valid entry"

answered Aug 06 '15 at 14:12

Toby Speight

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its not working all echo's are having same default color – Girdhar Singh Rathore Aug 06 '15 at 14:18
Perhaps your terminal doesn't support colour. What's `$TERM` set to? And what does `tput setaf 1 | od -a` say? I checked the above as a `dash` script in an `xterm` and on `linux` (Linux virtual console), both successfully. – Toby Speight Aug 06 '15 at 14:20
`echo "$TERM"` says `xterm` – Girdhar Singh Rathore Aug 06 '15 at 14:22
So the `tput` line should give `esc [ 3 1 m`, if your definitions are correctly installed. – Toby Speight Aug 06 '15 at 14:24
i just copied your text in a script and execute that script, but its not working, i am a newbie to Linux can you plz help how to write this – Girdhar Singh Rathore Aug 06 '15 at 14:31
Should work! Strange.. `tput -V` ? – neuron Aug 06 '15 at 14:33

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 06 '15 at 14:12

2

echo -e "\e[31minvalid entries\e[0m"

Reference: Bash tips: Colors and formatting (ANSI/VT100 Control sequences)

answered Aug 06 '15 at 14:12

neuron

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Don't embed hard-coded control sequences in strings like this - they look awful on many terminals. – Toby Speight Aug 06 '15 at 14:13
@TobySpeight Example? – neuron Aug 06 '15 at 14:15
What do you mean, "example?"? Are you asking for environments where embedded literal terminal escapes appear badly? `M-x compile` frequently shows up the idiots who do this (as a single example), if that's what you're asking. – Toby Speight Aug 06 '15 at 14:17
Plus not all terminals support ANSI color control sequences, or have their own sequences. It is better to go via `termcap` or `curses` - as per Toby's answer (as `tput` will work out the best control sequence for your terminal type). – Drav Sloan Aug 06 '15 at 14:32
@TobySpeight Yup. – neuron Aug 06 '15 at 14:35
@DravSloan: Yup – neuron Aug 06 '15 at 14:35
Agree with both of you. It was a quick one – neuron Aug 06 '15 at 14:35
@Neuron your code also not working on in my file, it is showing default color – Girdhar Singh Rathore Aug 06 '15 at 14:44

change colour of `echo` for particular line in shell script in Linux?

2 Answers2