Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!mailrus!umix!nancy!eecae!dsacng1!nab1382
From: nab1382@dsacng1.UUCP (Dick Hauser)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: AWK User Assistance
Message-ID: <307@dsacng1.UUCP>
Date: 21 Apr 88 13:06:39 GMT
Organization: Defense Logistics Agency Systems Automation Center, Battle Creek, MI
Lines: 28
Keywords: unix AWK assistance

I purchased the book "The AWK Programming Language".  Right now,
I am working my way through the book.  I have encountered problems
with user-defined functions (Page 53).  I am familiar with "C"
and the bourne shell.  I wrote a small AWK program which called
a user-define function.  Syntax errors keep occurring.

     { init_rpt()
       print $1, $2 $3
     }
     function init_rpt {
	print "      SAMPLE HEADER"
     }

As a last resort, I wrote a small program like the one above, but
still received errors (syntax error near xxx, bailing out near xxx).
I read paragraph 2.3 (User-Defined Functions) quite a few times, and
can locate the problem.  Apparently, there is a syntax requirement
I am not aware of.  Finally, I you have a list of AWK "gotchas",    
I would appreciate receiving a copy.  

			   Thanks in advance -
			       Dick Hauser

		   
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