Re: awk tutorial confusion

r <inpost@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:

> Readers,
>
> I am reading a tutorial, to learn how to use awk (http://
> www.grymoire.com/Unix/Awk.html).
>
> I've copied the following text and saved in the filenames shown:


I think you are a little too eager here.  In the tutorial in the next
section I describe several ways to execute an awk script.

See "Executing an AWK script" in
http://www.grymoire.com/Unix/Awk.html#uh-2

>
> $ awk -f fileowner.awk
> awk: fileowner.awk:2: awk'
> awk: fileowner.awk:2:    ^ invalid char ''' in expression

I described three different ways to write an AWK script

Bourne shell (and POSIX shells)
        http://www.grymoire.com/Unix/Scripts/awk_example1.sh

(C shell - not recommended)
        http://www.grymoire.com/Unix/Scripts/awk_example1.csh

(AWK script)
        http://www.grymoire.com/Unix/Scripts/awk_example1.awk

You are using AWK to execute a Bourne shell script.  I updated my
tutorial to make this clearer. I hope this helps.


Also - in the Dynamic Variables section, when you used 

>fileowner3:
>#!/bin/sh
>column=$1
>awk '{print $column}'

You have to read the next few paragraphs. (I'll make some changes to
make this more obvious).

I have the comment

Only one problem: the script doesn't work.  The value of the "column"
variable is not seen by AWK. Change "awk" to "echo" to check. You need
to turn off the quoting when the variable is seen. This can be done by
ending the quoting, and restarting it after the variable:

#!/bin/sh
column=$1
awk '{print $'$column'}'

Hope this helps.

- Bruce
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