recset

Update field values in GNU recutils databases

TLDR

Update field value

$ recset -f [Field] -v "[new_value]" -e "[condition]" [file.rec]

Set field in all records

$ recset -f [Status] -v "[active]" [file.rec]

Update specific type

$ recset -t [Type] -f [Field] -v "[value]" -e "[condition]" [file.rec]

Add field if missing

$ recset -a -f [NewField] -v "[value]" [file.rec]

recset modifies field values in GNU recutils plain-text database files, updating existing fields or adding new ones based on selection expressions. It uses the same expression syntax as recsel to target specific records, then sets the specified field to a new value.The -a flag adds the field only to records where it does not already exist, and -n limits updates to the first N matching records. Without a selection expression, all records in the file are updated. The file is modified in place. Part of the GNU recutils toolkit.

PARAMETERS

-t, --type type

Record type.

-f, --field name

Field to set.

-v, --value value

New value.

-e, --expression expr

Selection expression.

-a, --add

Add field if missing.

-n, --num n

Update first n matches.

EXAMPLES

$ # Update matching records
recset -f Status -v "completed" -e "Status = 'pending'" tasks.rec

# Update all records
recset -f Updated -v "$(date)" data.rec

# Update specific type
recset -t Contact -f Phone -v "555-0000" -e "Name = 'John'" contacts.rec

# Add field if not exists
recset -a -f Category -v "General" -e "!Category" items.rec

# Update first match
recset -n 1 -f Priority -v "high" -e "Status = 'new'" tasks.rec