Little awk help

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

I am attempting to pull everything between a regex and the next blank line from a file. I am having trouble with the regex for a blank line. Here is what I tried.

awk '/Online modules/, /^$/' filename.txt

I also tried variations with \n and \n\n and am not having any luck. I keep getting everything from the first regex through until the end of the file. Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance.

2

That works for me.

Perhaps you have carriage returns at the end of the otherwise blank line?

3

Probably the start / stop regex given to awk doesn't match. Can you post here the output of cat -vet filename

4

Try this one:

awk '/Online modules/{f=1}f && /^$/{exit}f' filename.txt
5

@danmero, same result, from the regex to the end of the file.

The file is rather large, so performed the cat -vet and included a few lines before my first regex through to a few lines after the blank line. I also omitted much of what was between. Also, I know Online is spelled differently than what I originally included. I simplified it a bit for my post. But here is the contents. Basically, I want to pull the block of text that starts On-line (non screened) through until a blank line appears, then stop. The following section might not always say Operations Libraries, it could be something else, that is why I have to key on the blank line as my ending regex. Thanks again guys!

  • W2715010 $
    +-> PsAD : ZH5010_271_TEST_WINDOW member name: ZH501027 $
    $
    On-line (non screened) load modules $
  • HA05X30 $
  • HA05X40 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_BA_ALL_B_CASH_RECEIPTS_IO member name: HA05B34 $
  • HA06X20 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_BA_PREM_ASO_CASH_RCPT_DRIVER member name: HA06N22 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_BA_PREM_ASO_CASH_RCPT_IO member name: HA06B24 $
  • HA06X23 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_BA_PREM_ASO_CASH_RP_DR member name: CABBAPR1 $
  • HA09X00 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_BA_INVOICE_POSTING_DRIVER member name: HA09B02 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_ME_PURGE_INACTIVE_MPNA member name: HZMHN07 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_ME_PURGE_INACTIVE_MPCP member name: HZMHN08 $
  • HZMIX00 $
    +-> PsAD : ME_PURGE_INACTIVE_DATA_4_N member name: HZMIN01 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_ME_PURGE_INACTIVE_DATA_4_DRV member name: HZMIN02 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_ME_PURGE_INACTIVE_MLVL member name: HZM1N03 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_ME_PURGE_INACTIVE_MREI member name: HZM1N04 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_ME_PURGE_INACTIVE_MBRH member name: HZM1N05 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_ME_PURGE_INACTIVE_OINS member name: HZM1N06 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_ME_PURGE_INACTIVE_PEXE member name: HZM1N07 $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_ME_PURGE_INACTIVE_PREX member name: HZM1N08 $
    $
    Operations Libraries $
  • CLBENE $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_CL_BENE_ELIG_MANUAL_OVERRIDE member name: HC20B02 $
  • CLDUPE $
    +-> AcBlk : CAB_CL_DUP_CHECK_DRIVER member name: CABCLDUP $
6

It seems that you have a nonprintable character on the end of every line, try:

awk '/Online modules/,/^.$/' file

Regards

7

Try again

awk '/On-line/{f=1}f && /^$/{exit}f' filename.txt
8

Neither worked, when I vi the file it looks like the line is an entire line of spaces out a record length of 80, perhaps that is why none of these are hitting.

9

This should print untill the line with only spaces:

awk '/Online modules/,/^[ ]*$/' file

Regards

10

I should have asked you to attach the file snippet instead of posting it. Anyways no hidden / ctrl characters in the file so your original awk command should work that is...

awk '/^On-line/, /^$/' file
11

That worked Franklin. Thanks for all the replies, very helpful!

12

So looks like it wasn't a blank line at all but had whitespace in it.