I have a file that gets created by pasting 3 files together to get the one file. The output of the 3 files follows.

sft.rtf
c3_critappdb_u5 start 04:22:20 end 08:03:41
c3_critappdb_u6 start 18:01:31 end 20:21:19
c3_critappdb_u7 start 00:02:50 end 08:30:17
c3_critappdb_u8 start 17:00:42 end 07:09:07
c3_critappdb_udmz start 03:40:16 end 05:43:35
c3_std_u4 start 00:01:36 end 00:48:08
c3_std_u5 start 18:00:26 end 08:03:08
c3_std_w start 19:03:52 end 23:18:12
c3_std_w1 start 19:02:28 end 19:34:09
c3_std_w2 start 06:40:29 end 08:05:28

elasped.rtf
elapsed 0.40
elapsed 0.68
elapsed 1.54
elapsed 7.84
elapsed 12.48
elapsed 2.40

mbtotal.rtf
backed up 411077272
backed up 69706890
backed up 32984282
backed up 1858507980
backed up 31342304
backed up 841902212
backed up 43950

I paste these three files together to get this.

stats.rtf
c3_critappdb_udmz start 03:40:16 end 05:43:35 elapsed 2.06 backed up 44396402
c3_critappdb_w1 start 21:26:37 end 22:35:20 elapsed 1.15 backed up 106627514
c3_critappdb_w2 start 21:24:18 end 00:25:44 elapsed 3.02 backed up 393996372
c3_critappdb_w3 start 05:33:31 end 08:36:48 elapsed 3.05 backed up 436677210
c3_critappdb_w4 start 19:19:45 end 20:53:57 elapsed 1.57 backed up 90132308
c3_critappdb_w5 start 03:40:21 end 07:25:36 elapsed 3.75 backed up 106912738

This is all working fine, the problem is that in the master file stats.rtf it's not lining up like I want it to. So I want to format so that everything is in line. I other words I would like to have the format of stats.rtf to look like this

c3_critappdb_udmz start 03:40:16 end 05:43:35 elapsed 2.06 backed up 44396402
c3_critappdb_w1 start 21:26:37 end 22:35:20 elapsed 1.15 backed up 106627514

When I previewed the post my last two lines that showed the way I wanted them to line up was not like I wanted it either. So I want all the starts, ends, elapsed, and backed up to line up under each other without any of the lines being scewed because one line is longer than the other.

can we recommend starting at the source, and work to have whatever process is writing all three files do so in one swell foop?

Otherwise, try to format the output of each via printf and iterate through each file in turn. The printf would allow you to establish tight controls over 'column' width and thereby arrange the content into even lengths. Assuming that there's a definite link in terms of row numbers among the files, you can then try to printf the output of your first file into a pipe that cats with printf output from each of the others in turn...

Did I mention going back to correct this at whatever point the original logger is munging it up?