Build your expertise with our comprehensive Advanced UNIX Shell Scripting course. Learn how to manipulate text files, automate tasks and master tools like AWK, sed and grep. Designed for experienced users, this course sharpens real-world scripting skills essential for advanced programming in UNIX environments.
UNIX Advanced Shell Programming Tools
Sharpen your scripting with advanced UNIX programming tools
This three-day advanced course is ideal for experienced UNIX users looking to extend their scripting capabilities. Gain confidence in using powerful UNIX tools for file handling, automation, pattern matching and data extraction. Designed to elevate your skills, streamline workflows and enhance your problem-solving capabilities in real technical environments.
Learning objectives
- Create shell scripts using advanced UNIX commands
- Automate jobs using cron and at
- Process text with AWK and sed
- Use grep and regular expressions effectively
- Handle file compression, comparison and splitting
- Translate and format characters with UNIX tools
- Develop AWK programs using control structures
- Work with associative and multi-dimensional arrays
- Utilise scripting tools such as xargs and eval
What you’ll learn
Advance your UNIX scripting by mastering a suite of powerful shell tools. From scheduling jobs and manipulating text to building AWK programs and controlling flow with sed, you’ll learn practical techniques that support automation, accuracy and efficiency in your UNIX environment.
Backup, scheduling and file operations
Start by reinforcing essential administration techniques for advanced UNIX shell scripting. You’ll use tar to back up and restore data, apply various compression utilities to manage file sizes, and automate repetitive processes using cron and at. This course also covers how to compare files using commands like diff and sdiff, and how to split large files efficiently based on context. These skills are vital for scripting in complex UNIX environments where file handling accuracy and automation can significantly reduce manual workload and error rates.
Text processing and regular expressions
Learn the key tools for text handling in UNIX. You’ll review and apply regular expressions - from basic metacharacters to POSIX classes - to search, extract and refine data. The session also explores how grep and tr simplify character filtering and translation, while sed enables advanced stream editing through pattern matching, grouping, flow control and output handling. With these skills, you can manipulate files directly within scripts, improving the efficiency of data processing and significantly cutting down on time-consuming manual edits.
AWK programming essentials
Build a strong foundation in AWK programming, an essential skill for advanced programming in UNIX. You’ll write scripts to filter and format text, use variables and operators, and work with pattern matching to extract targeted information. This course also covers output formatting with printf, and using logical operators to process structured data. These capabilities are crucial for producing tailored reports and performing data analysis directly from the command line, giving you a practical toolkit to automate complex processing tasks.
Advanced AWK and shell tools
Take your scripting to the next level with deeper control and flexibility. This part of the course covers AWK control structures including if, while, break and continue, as well as user-defined functions and advanced string handling. You’ll also explore arrays - associative and multi-dimensional - to manage datasets more efficiently. The sessions finish with essential shell tools such as xargs, getopts, eval, and logger, giving you powerful methods to write cleaner, more responsive and modular scripts suitable for enterprise-level UNIX environments.
What’s included
- Three days of live, instructor-led training
- Real-time interaction in our live labs
- Interactive sessions with structured exercises
- Access to expert trainers with real-world experience
- Support materials to reinforce learning
- Certificate of attendance and achievement
Key facts
Ideal for
Perfect for developers, sysadmins and programmers who need to automate tasks, manipulate data and streamline workflows using advanced UNIX shell scripting techniques.
Prerequisites
You should have prior experience with the UNIX operating system and basic shell scripting – to the level covered in our UNIX Introduction and UNIX Shell Programming courses.
Learning experience
Our experienced trainers and interactive labs create a focused, practical environment – so you can put theory into practice from day one.
FAQs
This practical course explores advanced UNIX shell scripting tools including AWK, sed, grep and scheduling commands. You’ll learn to automate tasks, manipulate text files, and build scripts that streamline data handling and system processes.
What is advanced UNIX shell scripting used for?
Advanced UNIX shell scripting enables you to create powerful automation for repetitive and complex system tasks. It’s used to manage data processing, manipulate large volumes of text files, schedule system jobs, and enhance workflow efficiency. These scripts are especially valuable in enterprise environments, where consistent, scalable and reliable processes are critical. Proficiency in this area is highly regarded for roles in system administration, DevOps, and data engineering, as it reduces manual effort and improves system performance and accuracy.
What tools will I learn to use on this course?
You’ll gain hands-on experience with a comprehensive set of advanced UNIX tools. These include AWK for pattern-based data processing, sed for stream editing, and grep and tr for searching and character translation. You’ll also use tar for file backup, cron and at for task scheduling, and scripting utilities like xargs, eval, and getopts. These tools are essential for developing efficient scripts that can handle complex data workflows and automate system tasks with precision.
What is the difference between sed and AWK?
While both are used for processing text, sed and AWK serve different purposes. sed is a stream editor ideal for making simple, quick changes to files line by line using search and replace techniques. In contrast, AWK is a more powerful programming language used for data extraction, formatting, and report generation based on patterns and fields. This course dives deep into both tools, teaching you when and how to apply them for different scripting needs, from automated text editing to structured data analysis.
What follow-on courses can I take after this?
After completing this course, you might consider progressing to Oracle SQL if you're looking to work more closely with relational databases and data queries. Alternatively, Linux Networking is ideal for those moving into system or network administration roles. Both courses build on your UNIX foundation and help you apply your scripting and automation skills to more advanced technical environments, supporting your growth into broader infrastructure, data or DevOps-focused careers.
What our customers say
“The course was informative and well-paced, and the instructor was knowledgeable and explained the concept in a clear and well thought out manner. He really helped clarify the topic and left me with a deeper understanding.”
Tony, StayAhead Learner
“The lecturer was amazing - so passionate and knowledgeable, which made the sessions really enjoyable and easy to follow. I learned a lot and felt supported throughout. I would definitely consider returning for future sessions and highly recommend StayAhead."
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