How can i join three lines into one in unix?

rdhanek · #1 (**permalink**) 07-23-2009

Hi all,

I am trying to merge three lines into one in my unix text file.

My text file sis omething like this.

Code:

xxxxxxxxx
yyyyyyyyyyy
zzz
aaaaaaaaa
bbbbbb
ccccc

Expected out put is

Code:

xxxxxxxxx yyyyyyyyyyy zzz
aaaaaaaaa bbbbbb ccccc

I tried with awk as shown below.

Code:

awk '{printf $0 " "; getline; print $0}'

But it is working only for merging two lines. Please help me in modifying this awk or any other alternative for this?

pludi · #2 (**permalink**) 07-23-2009

HTH

Code:

$ cat file.txt
xxxxxxxxx
yyyyyyyyyyy
zzz
aaaaaaaaa
bbbbbb
ccccc
$ perl -pi -e 's/\n/ / if $.%3' file.txt
$ cat file.txt
xxxxxxxxx yyyyyyyyyyy zzz
aaaaaaaaa bbbbbb ccccc

lathavim · #3 (**permalink**) 07-23-2009

See if this works.

Code:

awk '{
if (NR % 3)
printf("%s ", $0)
else
printf("%s\n", $0)
}' file

Kibou · #4 (**permalink**) 10-06-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by lathavim

See if this works.

Code:

awk '{
if (NR % 3)
printf("%s ", $0)
else
printf("%s\n", $0)
}' file

Hi, I was reading this.. this work perfect, but I need something slightly different. I need print in the same line two lines if it finds a pattern ( a string in the first line). I am trying different things with awk.. but cant get it to work

It would be something like

select bla bla
update bla bla
bla bla
insert into bla bla

and the resulting file must find "update" and then print that line and the next one altogether, like:

select bla bla
update bla bla bla bla
insert into

Any help would be great.....

rdhanek · #5 (**permalink**) 10-06-2009

Try this for printing the line with pattern, line above and the next line.
awk '/update/{where=NR;print}NR==where+1 && where!=0 {print}'

rdhanek · #6 (**permalink**) 07-23-2009

Thanks lathavim..it worked perfectly..Pludi, i am looking for a shell command..anyway thanks for your reply.

pludi · #7 (**permalink**) 07-23-2009

You do know that Perl is as much a "shell command" as awk (both aren't shell built-ins but external commands), and both commands given do the same thing.

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