Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ucsd!ucsdhub!esosun!seismo!uunet!tiamat!jim
From: jim@tiamat.fsc.com (Jim O'Connor)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Supressing new-lines in awk output
Summary: use the printf() method
Keywords: awk
Message-ID: <372@tiamat.fsc.com>
Date: 4 Feb 89 19:10:06 GMT
References: <21638@conexch.UUCP>
Organization: Filtration Sciences Corp., Chattanooga, TN
Lines: 24

In article <21638@conexch.UUCP>, root@conexch.UUCP (Larry Dighera) writes:
> Is there a way to supress the newline at the end of awk's print output?
> Given:
> 	awk '{print $1}' filename
> Where filename contains:
> 	field1.1 field1.2
> 	field2.1 field2.2
> 	field3.1 field3.2
> awk will print the first field of each record on a seperate line:
> 	field1.1
> 	field2.1
> 	field3.1
> Is there a way to cause each "$1" to be printed with a space delimiter instead,

awk '	{printf "%s ", $1}
END	{ print }' filename

should do the trick.  The END action is needed or you won't get a newline at
all.

Just like printf() in the C library, the awk printf needs "\n" at the end
of the format string if you want a newline.

--jim