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(gawk.info)Atari Using

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Running `gawk' on the Atari ST
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   An executable version of `gawk' should be placed, as usual, anywhere
in your `PATH' where your shell can find it.

   While executing, the Atari version of `gawk' creates a number of
temporary files.  When using `gcc' libraries for TOS, `gawk' looks for
either of the environment variables, `TEMP' or `TMPDIR', in that order.
If either one is found, its value is assumed to be a directory for
temporary files.  This directory must exist, and if you can spare the
memory, it is a good idea to put it on a RAM drive.  If neither `TEMP'
nor `TMPDIR' are found, then `gawk' uses the current directory for its
temporary files.

   The ST version of `gawk' searches for its program files, as
described in Note: The `AWKPATH' Environment Variable.
The default value for the `AWKPATH' variable is taken from `DEFPATH'
defined in `Makefile'. The sample `gcc'/TOS `Makefile' for the ST in
the distribution sets `DEFPATH' to `".,c:\lib\awk,c:\gnu\lib\awk"'.
The search path can be modified by explicitly setting `AWKPATH' to
whatever you want.  Note that colons cannot be used on the ST to
separate elements in the `AWKPATH' variable, since they have another
reserved meaning.  Instead, you must use a comma to separate elements
in the path.  When recompiling, the separating character can be
modified by initializing the `envsep' variable in
`unsupported/atari/gawkmisc.atr' to another value.

   Although `awk' allows great flexibility in doing I/O redirections
from within a program, this facility should be used with care on the ST
running under TOS.  In some circumstances, the OS routines for
file-handle pool processing lose track of certain events, causing the
computer to crash and requiring a reboot.  Often a warm reboot is
sufficient.  Fortunately, this happens infrequently and in rather
esoteric situations.  In particular, avoid having one part of an `awk'
program using `print' statements explicitly redirected to
`/dev/stdout', while other `print' statements use the default standard
output, and a calling shell has redirected standard output to a file.

   When `gawk' is compiled with the ST version of `gcc' and its usual
libraries, it accepts both `/' and `\' as path separators.  While this
is convenient, it should be remembered that this removes one
technically valid character (`/') from your file name.  It may also
create problems for external programs called via the `system' function,
which may not support this convention.  Whenever it is possible that a
file created by `gawk' will be used by some other program, use only
backslashes.  Also remember that in `awk', backslashes in strings have
to be doubled in order to get literal backslashes (Note: Escape
Sequences).