Re: [GnuWin32-Users] Awk error

2009-10-28 Thread Keith MARSHALL




Charles Calvert wrote:
 Since we're engaging in a little friendly pedantry...

:-)

 On 10/27/2009 6:30 AM, Keith MARSHALL wrote:

 [attributions added back in]

This utterly abysmal mail client, which my employer insists I use, messes
them up horrendously; sorry about that.

 On 10/23/2009 10:56 AM, Charles Calvert wrote:

 On 10/23/2009 10:31 AM, bradda...@comcast.net wrote:

 I can't seem to get awk to work.
 Here is the command line I'm trying to use:

 svn ls -R | awk print $1
 Try:

svn ls -R | awk {print $1}

 The default rule must be enclosed in braces.

 Actually, this is not strictly so; while your suggested remedy
 is correct in this instance, your explanation is wrong.

 An awk rule, (usually called a statement,

 Most of my understanding of awk comes from Effective awk Programming
 and sed  awk in which Mr. Robbins tends to use the word rule rather
 than the word statement, so I think that usually depends on the
 context.  I would agree that statement has a more well defined meaning
 in a programming context, but plenty of programming languages have their
 little variations on terminology.

I didn't mean to impugn your use of the word rule; just introducing
what I believe to be the more common terminology, esp. in the formal
documentation of awk, (where, FTR, my match-criterion is usually
referred to as a pattern; see:
   http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/utilities/awk.html ).

 for it is a part
 of an awk script which itself comprises one or more of such
 statements), comprises two parts:

   match-criterion { action [; ...] }

 It's the *action* part of the statement which must be enclosed
 in braces, and this applies to *all* statements;

 I did not imply the opposite.  Brad failed to enclose the action in
 braces and I stated that he needed to do so.

Exactly so; your suggested remedy was correct, as I said.  However...

  I don't see how one can
 reasonably conclude that this implies that braces should not enclose
 any other action.  Perhaps I have misunderstood your use of emphasis
 in this case?

I thought your wording may have been potentially confusing; you stated
that the default *rule* must be enclosed in braces (my emphasis), but
if we accept, in your terminology, that rule is synonymous with the
statement of mine, then that would be incorrect: it is only the
*action* part of the rule which must be enclosed in braces, (and
there really isn't any realistic concept of a default rule; the awk
language specification allows *either* the pattern or the action to be
defaulted, but never both in the same statement).

 (in fact, if any statement is given at all, there is no applicable
 concept of a default; any statement may omit either the
 match-criterion part, which then defaults to matching *every* input
 line, or it may omit the action part, which then defaults to echoing
 the entire matched input line to the output stream.

 I should have said the empty pattern[1], but my mind came up with
 default instead.

Ah!  With that qualification, your analysis becomes correct, if not as
clearly expressed as it might have been.

 Thanks for the clarification.

You're welcome.  I thought it necessary, to avoid possibly confusing an
OP who clearly isn't experienced in awk programming.

--

Regards,
Keith.
--
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Re: [GnuWin32-Users] Awk error

2009-10-28 Thread Charles Calvert
On 10/28/2009 6:13 AM, Keith MARSHALL wrote:
 
 Charles Calvert wrote:
 Since we're engaging in a little friendly pedantry...
 
 :-)
 
 On 10/27/2009 6:30 AM, Keith MARSHALL wrote:

 [attributions added back in]
 
 This utterly abysmal mail client, which my employer insists I use, messes
 them up horrendously; sorry about that.

I checked the headers and see that you're being forced to use Lotus
Notes, which is the only mail client that does a worse job than Outlook.
 You have my sympathies and you apology is absolutely accepted.

 On 10/23/2009 10:56 AM, Charles Calvert wrote:
 On 10/23/2009 10:31 AM, bradda...@comcast.net wrote:
 I can't seem to get awk to work.
 Here is the command line I'm trying to use:

 svn ls -R | awk print $1
 Try:

svn ls -R | awk {print $1}

 The default rule must be enclosed in braces.

 Actually, this is not strictly so; while your suggested remedy
 is correct in this instance, your explanation is wrong.

 An awk rule, (usually called a statement,

 Most of my understanding of awk comes from Effective awk Programming
 and sed  awk in which Mr. Robbins tends to use the word rule rather
 than the word statement, so I think that usually depends on the
 context.  I would agree that statement has a more well defined meaning
 in a programming context, but plenty of programming languages have their
 little variations on terminology.
 
 I didn't mean to impugn your use of the word rule; just introducing
 what I believe to be the more common terminology, esp. in the formal
 documentation of awk,

Understood.  I wasn't sure of your intent there, so thanks for the
clarification.

(where, FTR, my match-criterion is usually
 referred to as a pattern; see:
http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/utilities/awk.html ).

Thanks for the link.

[snip my suggested remedy]

 I thought your wording may have been potentially confusing; you stated
 that the default *rule* must be enclosed in braces (my emphasis), but
 if we accept, in your terminology, that rule is synonymous with the
 statement of mine, then that would be incorrect: it is only the
 *action* part of the rule which must be enclosed in braces,

Yes, I my choice of words was imprecise and could be easily
misinterpreted.  Thanks for pointing that out.

[snip]

[regarding my use of the term default rule]

 I should have said the empty pattern[1], but my mind came up with
 default instead.
 
 Ah!  With that qualification, your analysis becomes correct, if not as
 clearly expressed as it might have been.

Amazing how referring to documentation to get correct terms can help. :)

[snip rest]

-- 
Charles


--
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