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rated 0 times [ 11] [ 0] / answers: 1 / hits: 19444 / 2 Years ago, tue, march 1, 2022, 8:38:55

I'm interested to find out the line number of the longest line from a file.

For example, if I have a file with the following content:

lalala

tatatata

abracadabra

mu mu mu

how can I write a bash script that will give me an output something like this: 3 -> abracadabra?

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3 Years ago

answered 2 Years ago eving · Accepted Answer

You don't need a script for doing this. A simple command is enough:

egrep -n "^.{$(wc -L < filename)}$" filename

This will work even when you have two or more lines with the same maximum length.

If you want that the output to be exactly in this form: 3 -> abracadabra, then use:

egrep -n "^.{$(wc -L < filename)}$" filename | sed 's/:/ -> /'

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