awk match whole word using a variable

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

Hello,
I am writing a script in awk where I need to match a whole word that is stored inside a variable.
For example:
I am working on a text that looks like this, and I want to print the second row:

sfasfsomethingsfasf
this is something I can use
this is not somethingIcanuse

wordToMatch="something";
if ($0 ~/\<wordToMatch\>/) print "OK";

This does not work, but when I put the actual string inside, it does work, but I can't use it.

if ($0 ~/\<something\>/) print "OK";

How can I use a variable with a regular expression?

Thank you.

2

are you using AWK for this?

if so you need to pass the variable into awk :

awk -v var="$wordToMatch"  ' $0 ~ /var/ {printf("%s", "OK")}

Hope this helps you.

3 
var="test"
echo "here is a test line" | awk '$0~temp {print "variable found"}' temp=$var
variable found

You need to read the variable into awk like this
awk -v temp=$var 'awk program' file
or
awk 'awk program' temp=$var file

@capitanui
$0 ~ /var/ not correct
$0 ~ var correct
You also miss a ' at the end

4

@Jotne
You are right, thanks. I am also in a learning phase!:slight_smile:

5

Thanks for your answers, but I need this to be part of the "action" part, not the pattern part.
Here's my actual code, which does not work (sorry for complicating):

(FNR==1 && FILENAME !~ "module_"topModuleName) {
  for (wireName in wiresArray)
    {
     split(wiresArray[wireName],sk1," ");
     if (sk1[1] == "reg" || sk1[1] == "wire") # replace regs and wires only
       {
        split(wireModulePins[wireName],sk2,"@@");

        # go over all the wires' module pins
        for (i=1;i<=length(sk2),;i++)
          {
           split(sk2,sk3,",");
           modName=sk3[1];
           pinName=sk3[2];

           # see if the wire is connected to a pin in the module whose file is currently being parsed
           if ((FILENAME ~ "module_"modName) && ($0 ~ /\<pinName\>))
             pinDir="input";
          }
       }
    }
}
6

This is not the entire actual code - where do you define the variable? And - what's the slash for in front of pinName? Please be aware of the difference between regex constants and regex variables!

7

This is the actual code.
I tried using pinName as the variable, but obviously this is not the way do it.
How can I use a variable in a regexp?

Thank you.

8

You didn't read Jotne's post.

9

What did I miss there?

10

How to read variable in to awk!!!
You are searching for string <pinName> , not for an varibale named pinName.
Use option -v or variable behind awk

11

Sorry, but I must have not explained myself correctly.
I don't need to read a variable to awk.
The variable is already an awk variable.
Look at the code I posted. It is all 'awk' code. No shell involved there.

Thanks.

12

I do suggest you post your input file, how you like to output to be and how to get there.
This way we can more understand what you are doing.

13

It is a little more complicated than that.
I am not making small manipulations on texts.
I tried to narrow it down to the relevant part.

I did some search and I realized there is no way to use a variable
inside a regular expression, so I worked around the problem.

Thank you.