separating fields of a data file using awk

hi guys,
i need help regarding comparsion of 2 data files

i Have 2 data files( both of them have 5 fields). I have to compare fields 1,2 of one file with field 1,2 another, to check some conditions. Im writing a script in awk langauge to do so. My problem is to extract the fields ($1,$2)
of both files and place them in a separate file as 4 different fields.

Ne takers for this problem..

jim
no, niet, nein, non
ls -l >file
demonstrate me how do you get the 4. col using cut -d' ' file
????

If you are looking for a helping hand, you will find it on the end of your arm (G. B. Shaw). This time I need some problems for my class of awk programming and here is my solution. It is tested on Linux under bash. If you are on Solaris, write nawk instead of awk:


:
# Script to read two files and compare first two fields
# Generate the third file containing all four compared fields
#

[ $# -eq 3 ] || {
echo "$0: call: $0 file1 file2 file_out" 1>&2
exit 10
}

awk '
BEGIN {
while (1) {

# Get one line from file1
RC1 = getline <"'"$1"'"
if (RC1 > 0) {
P1 = $1
P2 = $2
}

# Get one line from file2
RC2 = getline <"'"$2"'"
if (RC1 > 0) {
Q1 = $1
Q2 = $2
}

# Compare the return codes
if (RC1 == 0 && RC2 == 0) {
exit 0 # Both input files equaly long
}
else if (RC1 == 0 && RC2 > 0) {
printf "%s longer then %s\n", "'"$2"'", "'"$1"'" | "cat 1>&2"
exit 2
}
else if (RC1 > 0 && RC2 == 0) {
printf "%s longer then %s\n", "'"$1"'", "'"$2"'" | "cat 1>&2"
exit 1
}

# Both files read
# compare the fields P1 : Q1, P2 : Q2 and output them
printf "%s %s %s %s\n", P1, P2, Q1, Q2 > "'"$3"'"

}
}
'

The indentation gets lost here, but I hope, it is no problem.

Try it and say your results.

Regards zlutvsky

YOU DONT ANSWER THE Q
ls -l >file
demonstrate me how do you get the 4. col using cut -d' ' file
and a 30 line shell to do that ????

Dear guggach,

as usual, you are beating around the bush. What about reading the question before writing your criticism? And what about presentig your original solution?

The question of smokingguns was to get first two fields from two input files, to do some unspecified comparisons and to generate one output file with all four extracted fields. My script does this work, I have tested it.

There was no mention of col. 4 and cut -d ' ' you are speaking about.

Now I am awaiting the answer from smokingguns and you have the chance to publish your solution to the given question.

Have a good day.

zlutovsky