Changing Log script to write to Top of File

[chortiz11]

Hey, so I'm running a simple backup and log script that is cronjobed to run twice a day. So currently, when new data is added to the log, its added to the direct bottom of the log file. However, I would like to have it printed to the very top of the log. The code is attached, I can't quote it in here because I am a new user and the system thinks I have url's in it, when they are just paths. Any suggestions would be useful, cheers and this is my first post!



** Note the breaks are in there intentionally, I have the log being printed into a php file which is displayed on my website

[ramin.honary]

Here is how I would do it:

#!/bin/bash

# Create a filename that will point to a temporary file:
TEMP=/tmp/home-backuplog.$(date +'%Y-%m-%d')

# Save the current backup log to the temporary file
cp /home/backuplog $TEMP

# Do everything, then cat the temporary file
( echo '<br />Backup Started<br />'
  mkdir /home/chris/Archive/`date +%R@%d-%m-%Y`
  tar -czf /home/chris/Archive/`date +%R@%d-%m-%Y`/mcs1.tar.gz /home/chris/mcserver1/
  echo 'Backup Completed<br />'
  date
  cat $TEMP
) >/home/backuplog #overwrite the old backup log

# delete the temporary file
rm $TEMP

[ramin.honary]

Here is a slightly more confusing way to do it, but does not require the use of a temporary file. You can use the "ed" text editor to edit files in memory.

#!/bin/bash

# Setup the text you want to prepend to the file in
# a format that can be used by the "ed" text editor.
( echo 1 # this is the "ed" command to edit the beginning of a file
  echo i # this is the "ed" command to begin inserting text
  # Now you are inserting text. Inserting will continue
  # until it sees a line that contains only a "."
  echo '<br />Backup Started<br />'
  mkdir /home/chris/Archive/`date +%R@%d-%m-%Y`
  tar -czf /home/chris/Archive/`date +%R@%d-%m-%Y`/mcs1.tar.gz /home/chris/mcserver1/
  echo 'Backup Completed<br />'
  date
  echo . # this is the "ed" command to stop inserting text
  echo w # this is the "ed" command to save the file
  echo q # this is the "ed" command to quit editing and exit
) | ed /home/backuplog