Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!know!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!fitz
From: fitz@mml0.meche.rpi.edu (Brian Fitzgerald)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell
Subject: Re: awk
Summary: while needs a body
Keywords: getline
Message-ID: <=FQ%!2@rpi.edu>
Date: 2 Oct 90 17:43:57 GMT
References: <8678@mirsa.inria.fr>
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Lines: 18

In article <8678@mirsa.inria.fr> mmartin@orphee.inria.fr (Michel MARTIN) writes:
>When I type
>
>	awk ' { while (getline <"lettre" > 0 ) } '
>
If you are using GNU awk, eliminate the error by specifying a body for
the while loop. If you want no action, use ";", as in

gawk ' { while (getline <"lettre" > 0 ) ; } '

Additionally, if you are using Sun awk, I don't think you can use input
redirection with getline. The following runs without error in Sun awk.

awk ' { while (getline > 0 ) ; } '

Gawk is available by anonymous ftp from prep.ai.mit.edu (and many sites in
Europe as well.) I believe that to compile gawk, it is helpful to get "bison"
and "gcc", which are available from the same place.