Compare 2 files for a single column and output differences - UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

samit_9999 · #1 04-23-2008

Hi,

I have a column in 2 different files which i want to compare, and output the results to a different file. The columns are in different positions in those 2 files.
File 1 the column is in position 10-15
File 2 the column is in position 15-20

Please advise

Thanks

era · #2 04-23-2008

With "the results", do you mean whether they were identical, or which lines differed, or which lines were identical, or both, or something else?

The comm command can compare sorted files. If your shell supports the <(...) construction, you don't even need temporary files:

Code:

comm <(cut -c10-15 file1 | sort) <(cut -c15-20 file2 | sort) >results

If you do need temporary files, it's a bit messy:

Code:

cut -c10-15 file1 | sort >/tmp/file1.tmp
cut -c15-20 file2 | sort >/tmp/file2.tmp
comm /tmp/file1.tmp /tmp/file2.tmp >results
resultcode=$?  # in case you want it
rm /tmp/file1.tmp /tmp/file2.tmp

See the comm manual page for what exactly the output means. You might want to omit e.g. the last column with the -3 option.

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