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(gawk.info)Function Calls


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Function Calls
==============

   A "function" is a name for a particular calculation.  This enables
you to ask for it by name at any point in the program.  For example,
the function `sqrt' computes the square root of a number.

   A fixed set of functions are "built-in", which means they are
available in every `awk' program.  The `sqrt' function is one of these.
Note: Built-in Functions, for a list of built-in functions
and their descriptions.  In addition, you can define functions for use
in your program.  Note: User-Defined Functions, for
instructions on how to do this.

   The way to use a function is with a "function call" expression,
which consists of the function name followed immediately by a list of
"arguments" in parentheses.  The arguments are expressions that provide
the raw materials for the function's calculations.  When there is more
than one argument, they are separated by commas.  If there are no
arguments, just write `()' after the function name.  The following
examples show function calls with and without arguments:

     sqrt(x^2 + y^2)        one argument
     atan2(y, x)            two arguments
     rand()                 no arguments

   *Caution:* Do not put any space between the function name and the
open-parenthesis!  A user-defined function name looks just like the
name of a variable--a space would make the expression look like
concatenation of a variable with an expression inside parentheses.

   With built-in functions, space before the parenthesis is harmless,
but it is best not to get into the habit of using space to avoid
mistakes with user-defined functions.  Each function expects a
particular number of arguments.  For example, the `sqrt' function must
be called with a single argument: the number to take the square root of:

     sqrt(ARGUMENT)

   Some of the built-in functions have one or more optional arguments.
If those arguments are not supplied, the functions use a reasonable
default value.  Note: Built-in Functions, for full details.
If arguments are omitted in calls to user-defined functions, then those
arguments are treated as local variables and initialized to the empty
string (Note: User-Defined Functions.).

   Like every other expression, the function call has a value, which is
computed by the function based on the arguments you give it.  In this
example, the value of `sqrt(ARGUMENT)' is the square root of ARGUMENT.
A function can also have side effects, such as assigning values to
certain variables or doing I/O.  The following program reads numbers,
one number per line, and prints the square root of each one:

     $ awk '{ print "The square root of", $1, "is", sqrt($1) }'
     1
     -| The square root of 1 is 1
     3
     -| The square root of 3 is 1.73205
     5
     -| The square root of 5 is 2.23607
     Ctrl-d


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