gawk: Filetrans Function
10.3.1 Noting Data file Boundaries
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The 'BEGIN' and 'END' rules are each executed exactly once, at the
beginning and end of your 'awk' program, respectively (
BEGIN/END). We (the 'gawk' authors) once had a user who mistakenly
thought that the 'BEGIN' rules were executed at the beginning of each
data file and the 'END' rules were executed at the end of each data
file.
When informed that this was not the case, the user requested that we
add new special patterns to 'gawk', named 'BEGIN_FILE' and 'END_FILE',
that would have the desired behavior. He even supplied us the code to
do so.
Adding these special patterns to 'gawk' wasn't necessary; the job can
be done cleanly in 'awk' itself, as illustrated by the following library
program. It arranges to call two user-supplied functions, 'beginfile()'
and 'endfile()', at the beginning and end of each data file. Besides
solving the problem in only nine(!) lines of code, it does so
_portably_; this works with any implementation of 'awk':
# transfile.awk
#
# Give the user a hook for filename transitions
#
# The user must supply functions beginfile() and endfile()
# that each take the name of the file being started or
# finished, respectively.
FILENAME != _oldfilename {
if (_oldfilename != "")
endfile(_oldfilename)
_oldfilename = FILENAME
beginfile(FILENAME)
}
END { endfile(FILENAME) }
This file must be loaded before the user's "main" program, so that
the rule it supplies is executed first.
This rule relies on 'awk''s 'FILENAME' variable, which automatically
changes for each new data file. The current file name is saved in a
private variable, '_oldfilename'. If 'FILENAME' does not equal
'_oldfilename', then a new data file is being processed and it is
necessary to call 'endfile()' for the old file. Because 'endfile()'
should only be called if a file has been processed, the program first
checks to make sure that '_oldfilename' is not the null string. The
program then assigns the current file name to '_oldfilename' and calls
'beginfile()' for the file. Because, like all 'awk' variables,
'_oldfilename' is initialized to the null string, this rule executes
correctly even for the first data file.
The program also supplies an 'END' rule to do the final processing
for the last file. Because this 'END' rule comes before any 'END' rules
supplied in the "main" program, 'endfile()' is called first. Once
again, the value of multiple 'BEGIN' and 'END' rules should be clear.
If the same data file occurs twice in a row on the command line, then
'endfile()' and 'beginfile()' are not executed at the end of the first
pass and at the beginning of the second pass. The following version
solves the problem:
# ftrans.awk --- handle datafile transitions
#
# user supplies beginfile() and endfile() functions
FNR == 1 {
if (_filename_ != "")
endfile(_filename_)
_filename_ = FILENAME
beginfile(FILENAME)
}
END { endfile(_filename_) }
Wc Program shows how this library function can be used and
how it simplifies writing the main program.
So Why Does 'gawk' Have 'BEGINFILE' and 'ENDFILE'?
You are probably wondering, if 'beginfile()' and 'endfile()'
functions can do the job, why does 'gawk' have 'BEGINFILE' and 'ENDFILE'
patterns?
Good question. Normally, if 'awk' cannot open a file, this causes an
immediate fatal error. In this case, there is no way for a user-defined
function to deal with the problem, as the mechanism for calling it
relies on the file being open and at the first record. Thus, the main
reason for 'BEGINFILE' is to give you a "hook" to catch files that
cannot be processed. 'ENDFILE' exists for symmetry, and because it
provides an easy way to do per-file cleanup processing. For more
information, refer to BEGINFILE/ENDFILE.
Info Catalog
gawk: Data File Management
gawk: Rewind Function