GNU Info

Info Node: (gawk.info)Read Terminal

(gawk.info)Read Terminal


Next: Long Prev: One-shot Up: Running gawk
Enter node , (file) or (file)node

Running `awk' Without Input Files
---------------------------------

   You can also run `awk' without any input files.  If you type the
following command line:

     awk 'PROGRAM'

`awk' applies the PROGRAM to the "standard input", which usually means
whatever you type on the terminal.  This continues until you indicate
end-of-file by typing `Ctrl-d'.  (On other operating systems, the
end-of-file character may be different.  For example, on OS/2 and
MS-DOS, it is `Ctrl-z'.)

   As an example, the following program prints a friendly piece of
advice (from Douglas Adams's `The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'),
to keep you from worrying about the complexities of computer
programming.  (`BEGIN' is a feature we haven't discussed yet.):

     $ awk "BEGIN { print \"Don't Panic!\" }"
     -| Don't Panic!

   This program does not read any input.  The `\' before each of the
inner double quotes is necessary because of the shell's quoting
rules--in particular because it mixes both single quotes and double
quotes.(1)

   This next simple `awk' program emulates the `cat' utility; it copies
whatever you type at the keyboard to its standard output. (Why this
works is explained shortly.)

     $ awk '{ print }'
     Now is the time for all good men
     -| Now is the time for all good men
     to come to the aid of their country.
     -| to come to the aid of their country.
     Four score and seven years ago, ...
     -| Four score and seven years ago, ...
     What, me worry?
     -| What, me worry?
     Ctrl-d

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) Although we generally recommend the use of single quotes around
the program text, double quotes are needed here in order to put the
single quote into the message.


automatically generated by info2www version 1.2.2.9