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Editing text using AWK

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# 1  
Old 01-11-2010
Editing text using AWK
Code:
France : 40 : John
Persia : 50 : John                           -----Database

What i am trying to achieve is to search for a book, and replave the title with the new title

Code:
echo -n "Title:"
read Title  
echo -n "Author:"
read Author
echo "new Title"
read NewTitle
awk 'BEGIN { FS=OFS=":" } $1 == '$Title' && $2 == '$Author'  { $1= '$NewTitle' } ' fruit

but i got the error code like this
Code:
awk: line 1: syntax error at or near end of line

what does this mean and how do i solve it?
# 2  
Old 01-11-2010
Code:
use nawk or gawk or /usr/xpg4/bin/awk

# 3  
Old 01-11-2010
Sorry, but what do u mean by using nawk or gawk? is there something wrong with the way i format my awk command?
# 4  
Old 01-11-2010
Hi.

You can't use single quotes in this way inside an action:

Code:
$1= '$NewTitle'

Instead, pass NewTitle to awk:

Code:
awk 'BEGIN { FS=OFS=":" } $1 == '$Title' && $2 == '$Author' { $1= NewTitle }
     1 ' NewTitle=$NewTitle fruit

And your awk doesn't actually print anything. It also doesn't update your file - you have to do that part yourself.

And like your other post, you have spaces in your input file, which will break your script.
# 5  
Old 01-11-2010
the version of the awk is allowing/not-allowing the syntax you wrote.
if the path of your awk is /bin/awk ...it is an old version where awk does not support your command syntax but gawk/nawk and /usr/xpg4/bin/awk are new versions of awk which support your syntax..

by the way what is the result of your command after using the new version of awk?
# 6  
Old 01-11-2010
okay , when i used the new code

Code:
awk 'BEGIN { FS=OFS=":" } $1 == '$Title' && $2 == '$Author'  { $1= NewTitle } ' NewTitle=$NewTitle fruit

when i run the program and key in the new title, nothing seems to happen after that.

Sorry ahmad , but how do i check which version of awk i am using and how do i change it?
# 7  
Old 01-11-2010
It has nothing to do with your version of awk, and a lot to do with spaces in your input file, and the fact that you're still not printing anything in your awk statement.

Code:
awk 'BEGIN { FS=OFS=":" } $1 == '$Title' && $2 == '$Author'  { $1= NewTitle } ' NewTitle=$NewTitle fruit

Code:
awk 'BEGIN { FS=OFS=":" } $1 == '$Title' && $2 == '$Author'  { $1= NewTitle; print } ' NewTitle=$NewTitle fruit
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