Re: awk

[Aharon Robbins]

Greetings.  Re this:

> To: address@hidden
> From: laurent <address@hidden>
> Subject: awk
> Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 15:33:49 +0100
>
> Hi,
>
> I need somebody help :
>
> As usual I make routine with awk programming language and I have encoutered
> a problem with reading big data.
>
> So How can I do to concatenate and store each record into only one variable.
>
> For example this file : it's just a sample because the entire file contains
> 575000 lines!!
>
>
> GATCTGATAAGTCCCAGGACTTCAGAAGAGCTGTGAGACCTTGGCCAAGTCACTTCCTCC
> TTCAGGAACATTGCAGTGGGCCTAAGTGCCTCCTCTCGGGACTGGTATGGGGACGGTCAT
> GCAATCTGGACAACATTCACCTTTAAAAGTTTATTGATCTTTTGTGACATGCACGTGGGT
> TCCCAGTAGCAAGAAACTAAAGGGTCGCAGGCCGGTTTCTGCTAATTTCTTTAATTCCAA
> GACAGTCTCAAATATTTTCTTATTAACTTCCTGGAGGGAGGCTTATCATTCTCTCTTTTG
> GATGATTCTAAGTACCAGCTAAAATACAGCTATCATTCATTTTCCTTGATTTGGGAGCCT
> AATTTCTTTAATTTAGTATGCAAGAAAACCAATTTGGAAATATCAACTGTTTTGGAAACC
> TTAGACCTAGGTCATCCTTAGTAAGATCTTCCCATTTATATAAATACTTGCAAGTAGTAG
> TGCCATAATTACCAAACATAAAGCCAACTGAGATGCCCAAAGGGGGCCACTCTCCTTGCT
> TTTCCTCCTTTTTAGAGGATTTATTTCCCATTTTTCTTAAAAAGGAAGAACAAACTGTGC
> CCTAGGGTTTACTGTGTCAGAACAGAGTGTGCCGATTGTGGTCAGGACTCCATAGCATTT
> CACCATTGAGTTATTTCCGCCCCCTTACGTGTCTCTCTTCAGCGGTCTATTATCTCCAAG
> AGGGCATAAAACACTGAGTAAACAGCTCTTTTATATGTGTTTCCTGGATGAGCCTTCTTT
> TAATTAATTTTGTTAAGGGATTTCCTCTAGGGCCACTGCACGTCATGGGGAGTCACCCCC
> AGACACTCCCAATTGGCCCCTTGTCACCCAGGGGCACATTTCAGCTATTTGTAAAACCTG
> AAATCACTAGAAAGGAATGTCTAGTGACTTGTGGGGGCCAAGGCCCTTGTTATGGGGATG
> AAGGCTCTTAGGTGGTAGCCCTCCAAGAGAATAGATGGTGAATGTCTCTTTTCAGACATT
> AAAGGTGTCAGACTCTCAGTTAATCTCTCCTAGATCCAGGAAAGGCCTAGAAAAGGAAGG
> CCTGACTGCATTAATGGAGATTCTCTCCATGTGCAAAATTTCCTCCACAAAAGAAATCCT
>
> How to store this entire text file into one variable ?
>
> Thank for you help .
>
> Laurent.

There are two answers, depending upon what you need.  If
you need to preserve the newlines, do it this way

        { if (rec)
                rec = rec "\n" $0
          else
                rec = $0        # first record
        }

        END {
                rec = rec "\n"  # add last newline
                # process the record here
        }

If you don't want the intervening newlines, it's simpler:

        {
                rec = rec $0
        }

        END {
                # process the record here
        }

Other solutions are more involved, using getline.  I recommend reading
the gawk doc for learning awk.

Good luck,

Aharon (Arnold) Robbins --- Pioneer Consulting Ltd.     address@hidden
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