Shell Programming and Scripting

Hi gimley and Scrutinizer,

With the input:

Code:

trimbak=ત્રિંબક 87
trimbak= ત્રીંબક 35
trimbak=ત્રીંબક 14
trimbakbhai= ત્રીંબકભાઈ 55

and

Code:

  FS="[ =]"

the 2nd and 4th lines will have 4 fields (with an empty field between the equal sign and the space).

I think you want to change the field separator to:

Code:

  FS="[ =]+"

or (as Scrutinizer had in his 1st suggestion):

Code:

  FS="= *| "

so that both = and = will be treated as a single field separator.

The field separator [ =] says that each field is delimited by a single <space> or <equal-sign> character.
The field separator [ =]+ says that each field is delimited by a string of one or more adjacent <space> and <equal-sign> characters.
And, the field separator = *| says that each <equal-sign> character immediately followed by zero or more <space> characters delimits a field AND a single <space> character (not immediately following an <equal-sign> character) also delimits a field.

Many thanks for your kind advice. Moreover I will ensure that in the database such anomalies of a space after or before the Left hand and right hand side does not exist. But then one never knows how data behaves!!!