Effective awk Programming: Universal Text Processing and Pattern Matching

Effective awk Programming: Universal Text Processing and Pattern Matching

<div><p>When processing text files, the <i>awk</i> language is ideal for handling data extraction, reporting, and data-reformatting jobs. This practical guide serves as both a reference and tutorial for POSIX-standard <i>awk</i> and for the GNU implementation, called <i>gawk</i>. This book is useful for novices and <i>awk</i> experts alike.</p><p>In this thoroughly revised edition, author and <i>gawk</i> lead developer Arnold Robbins describes the <i>awk</i> language and <i>gawk</i> program in detail, shows you how to use <i>awk</i> and <i>gawk</i> for problem solving, and then dives into specific features of <i>gawk</i>. System administrators, programmers, webmasters, and other power users will find everything they need to know about <i>awk</i> and <i>gawk</i>. You will learn how to:</p><ul><li>Format text and use regular expressions in <i>awk</i> and <i>gawk</i></li><li>Process data using <i>awk</i>'s operators and built-in functions</li><li>Manage data relationships using associative arrays</li><li>Define your own functions</li><li>"Think in <i>awk</i>" with two full chapters of sample functions and programs</li><li>Take advantage of <i>gawk</i>'s many advanced features</li><li>Debug <i>awk</i> programs with the <i>gawk</i> built-in debugger</li><li>Extend <i>gawk</i> by writing new functions in C or C++</li></ul><p>This book is published under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. <i>You have the freedom to copy and modify this GNU manual.</i></p><p>Royalties from the sales of this book go to the Free Software Foundation and to the author.</p></div>