#!/usr/bin/env bash

# @(#) s1       Demonstrate creation and execution of arbitrary number of commands.

# Utility functions: print-as-echo, print-line-with-visual-space, debug.
# export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
LC_ALL=C ; LANG=C ; export LC_ALL LANG
pe() { for _i;do printf "%s" "$_i";done; printf "\n"; }
pl() { pe;pe "-----" ;pe "$*"; }
em() { pe "$*" >&2 ; }
db() { ( printf " db, ";for _i;do printf "%s" "$_i";done;printf "\n" ) >&2 ; }
db() { : ; }
C=$HOME/bin/context && [ -f $C ] && $C cut paste

pl " Basic structure of data file data1, showing invisible characters:"
cat -A data1

pl " Input data files:" data?
head data?

pl " Results, process substitution:"
paste <(cut -f1,5 data1) <(cut -f1,5 data2)

pl " Create a list of process substitution commands:"
command=""
for i in data*
do
  pe " Working on file $i"
  command="$command <(cut -f1,5 ${i})"
done
pe " command = :$command:"

pl " Use the created command string in a master paste command:"
pe " ( noting that command \"eval\" can be dangerous. )"
eval paste $command

exit 0

$ ./s1

Environment: LC_ALL = C, LANG = C
(Versions displayed with local utility "version")
OS, ker|rel, machine: Linux, 3.16.0-7-amd64, x86_64
Distribution        : Debian 8.11 (jessie) 
bash GNU bash 4.3.30
cut (GNU coreutils) 8.23
paste (GNU coreutils) 8.23

-----
 Basic structure of data file data1, showing invisible characters:
org1_1^I1^I1^I2.5^I100$
org1_2^I1^I2^I5.5^I98^I$
org1_3^I1^I3^I7.2^I88$

-----
 Input data files: data1 data2 data3
==> data1 <==
org1_1  1       1       2.5     100
org1_2  1       2       5.5     98
org1_3  1       3       7.2     88

==> data2 <==
org2_1  1       1       2.5     100
org2_2  1       2       5.5     56
org2_3  1       3       7.2     70

==> data3 <==
org3_1  1       1       2.5     100
org3_2  1       2       5.5     35
org3_3  1       3       7.2     44

-----
 Results, process substitution:
org1_1  100     org2_1  100
org1_2  98      org2_2  56
org1_3  88      org2_3  70

-----
 Create a list of process substitution commands:
 Working on file data1
 Working on file data2
 Working on file data3
 command = : <(cut -f1,5 data1) <(cut -f1,5 data2) <(cut -f1,5 data3):

-----
 Use the created command string in a master paste command:
 ( noting that command "eval" can be dangerous. )
org1_1  100     org2_1  100     org3_1  100
org1_2  98      org2_2  56      org3_2  35
org1_3  88      org2_3  70      org3_3  44