How to Run awk Programs

There are several ways to run an awk program. If the program is short, it is easiest to include it in the command that runs awk, like this:

awk 'program' input-file1 input-file2 ...

where program consists of a series of patterns and actions, as described earlier. (The reason for the single quotes is described below, in section One-shot Throw-away awk Programs.)

When the program is long, it is usually more convenient to put it in a file and run it with a command like this:

awk -f program-file input-file1 input-file2 ...

• One-shot: Running a short throw-away awk program.
• Read Terminal: Using no input files (input from terminal instead).
• Long: Putting permanent awk programs in files.
• Executable Scripts: Making self-contained awk programs.
• Comments: Adding documentation to gawk programs.

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