Shell Programming and Scripting

We are calling Unix through SQR.
I want to know there is any operator available in Unix ...so that the remaining command should go to the next line
I will explain , find the below code . It is in single line which is coded as single variable in SQR and called using 'call system using ' command.....now i want 'the operator or command" which will devide the code and print like Step 2.(actually i want to use that command before 'if ' below ....)

Step1 : (single Line)

awk '{gsub(/^\|| +\|/,"") if(NF!=10){for(i=1;i<=(10-NF);i++)printf("%s|",k[i]);print;next}{for(i=1;i<=3;i++)k[i]=$i}print}' FS='|' file


Step 2: ( two lines ....2 nd start with 'if' )

awk '{gsub(/^\|| +\|/,"")
if(NF!=10){for(i=1;i<=(10-NF);i++)printf("%s|",k[i]);print;next}{for(i=1;i<=3;i++)k[i]=$i}print}' FS='|' file

End the first line with a \

awk '{gsub(/^\|| +\|/,"") a\ if(NF!=6){for(i=1;i<=(6-NF);i++)printf("%s|",k[i]);print;next}{for(i=1;i<=3;i++)k[i]=$i}print}' FS='|' key.txt

awk: cmd. line:1: {gsub(/^\|| +\|/,"") a\ if(NF!=6){for(i=1;i<=(6-NF);i++)printf("%s|",k[i]);print;next}{for(i=1;i<=3;i++)k[i]=$i}print}
awk: cmd. line:1: ^ backslash not last character on line



The above error is coming .......
I think u understood the requirement .....we have to use the operator so that from 'if' to till the end ...sholud be treated as new line.

I dont know why error is coming even if the entire code is on single line ...

what exactly is the problem here?

If you want all of it on a single line, end the gsub func call with a semicolon (, before the if.. starts.

You need to use the backslash as the last character of the line if you need to spread the awk string across more than one lines.

maybe i didnt understand what is your issue, can you elaborate?