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How to search for blank fields in a text file from a certain position?

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# 1  
Old 03-28-2014
How to search for blank fields in a text file from a certain position?
Sample txt file :

Code:
OK00001111112|
OK00003443434|skjdaskldj
OK32812983918|asidisoado
OK00000000001|
ZM02910291029|sldkjaslkjdasldjk

what would be the shell script to figure out the blank space (if any) after the pipe sign?
Last edited by Don Cragun; 03-28-2014 at 06:04 AM.. Reason: Add CODE tags.
# 2  
Old 03-28-2014
Your sample input doesn't appear to have any spaces or tabs after the vertical bars. But, the code:
Code:
awk -F '|' '$2 ~ /[[:blank:]]/' file.txt

when file.txt contains:
Code:
OK00001111112|
OK00003443434|skjdaskldj
OK32812983918|asidisoado
OK00000000001|
ZM02910291029|sldkjaslkjdasldjk
abc| space
def|	tab
ghi|12 34space
jkl|56	78tab

produces the output:
Code:
abc| space
def|	tab
ghi|12 34space
jkl|56	78tab

Is this what you were trying to do?
# 3  
Old 03-28-2014
yeah, I noticed it now that there is no blank space after the | in sample.txt file.

I wish to print the rows which have only one column (ie. missing 2nd column after | )

output should look like :
Code:
Blank Records found : 
OK00001111112| 
OK00000000001|

Last edited by Franklin52; 03-28-2014 at 06:35 AM.. Reason: Please use code tags
# 4  
Old 03-28-2014
There is a big difference between "blank" and "empty". To print lines where field 2 is empty, try:
Code:
awk -F '|' '$2==""' file.txt

This User Gave Thanks to Don Cragun For This Post:
chatwithsaurav
# 5  
Old 03-28-2014
Thanks a Ton Don!.. It worked..
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