vi editor

[Rushank]

Hi,

I want to restrict multiple administrators simelteneously edit a single file. Is there any way I can do it in vi? My main concern is multiple (including remote) admins try to umdate DNS hosts file. I want this file to be open by only one admin at a give point of time.

[Craig Rants]

I don't know of anything of hand, I assume you are looking for something to perform like vipw where the file is locked when someone is editing it. You may have to write your own binary. You may try to get your hand on the vipw source code to see what they've done.

GL,
C

[harry d brown jr]

A baseball bat is your only option. Or you could use SCCS to control revision changes, which is something I've used in the past.


live free or die
harry

[Mark Greene_1]

install vim. it still allows concurrent sessions, but it at least has the benefit of displaying a warning message if you are editing a file while another vim session has it open as well.

HTH
mark

[Craig Rants]

Didn't think about Harry's option, that could be a possibility. We have some sort of revision control software here, where you have to check a script/file out edit it, then check it back in... What a pain, obviously I almost never use it which defeats the point of having it...

C

[Rushank]

Thanks ... For now vim looks like better option.!

[Steven Sim Kok Leong]

Hi,

The other way is to write a wrapper script for vi (below is a simplistic script which assumes only one parameter and it can be enhanced to your needs) eg.

# mv /usr/bin/vi /usr/bin/vi.bin
# vi /usr/bin/vi

#!/sbin/sh
if [ -e /tmp/$1.vilck ]
then
echo "Someone is currently editing $1. Please try again later..."
exit 1
else
touch /tmp/$1.vilck
/usr/bin/vi.bin $1
fi

Hope this helps. Regards.

Steven Sim Kok Leong

[Steven Sim Kok Leong]

Hi,

I forgot to remove the lock "semaphore" upon exit. Revised as follows:

#!/sbin/sh
if [ -e /tmp/$1.vilck ]
then
echo "Someone is currently editing $1. Please try again later..."
exit 1
else
touch /tmp/$1.vilck
/usr/bin/vi.bin $1
rm -f /tmp/$1.vilck
fi

Hope this helps. Regards.

Steven Sim Kok Leong