UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hello, I have the following problem

I have two columns with numbers arranged as follows:

Code:

x1     y1
x2     y2
....
....
x250  y250

Now I need them arranged as follows:

Code:

"string a"
x1   y1
x1   y2
"string b"
"string a"
x1   y2
x2   y2
"string b"
"string a"
x2   y2
x2   y3
"string b"
"string a"
x2   y3
x3   y3
"string b"
...

I got the hint that this should be possible with awk, but did not find a command to write information from two different lines of the input-file in the same line of the output-file. (like for example x2 and y3)

Thanks for your support.

Next time use CODE-tags when posting code, data or logs to enhance readability and keep formatting like indention etc., ty.

What did you try so far?

And with your code, please provide little more input sample, it will help in understanding the pattern better.

I could now find a solution by myself. What helped are arrays.
I could read in the data with the following text:

{max_nr = NR
for (y = 1; y <= 2; y++)
vector[NR, y]=$y
}

Afterwards it was easy to give the numbers out in the wished order.

Regards Tom