UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

a 4 letter word can be replaced bya 7 leter word. But problem is when doing the reverse.

When a 7 leter word in a record is replaced by a 4 letter word , the word is getting replaced .
But the next column in the record will start at the 5 th position.
What i need is the next column in the record should start only at the 8 th position as in the original file.

I guess what scrutinizer wanted to say is that, when a 4 letter word is replaced by a 7 letter word, the position of the next column would be starting at wrong position. So either way, you wouldn't get the next column to start at the same position. I hope i am clear.

Also, your data seems a bit strange, it is text based, not record based, yet you speak about columns. Could it be that your actual data set is quite different from your sample data?

My actual data is record based, not text based.
I used text based as an example only. Sorry If i confused.

Imagine a record start at 8 th position and last till 15th postion.
Next record starts at 16th postion only and goes.

what i was trying to convey is if am replacing a 7 leter word with a 3 or 4 leter word , the the next record in the o/p file starts at very next postion ( not at 16 th as in the original file ) using Malcomes script.

Did u get my point...

As i said, either way... the position of the next column won't be in same position.
But can you show your actual data or a sample file similar to your actual data.

Can you show us a representative sample (you can change the data as long as the format remains in tact).