UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hi all,

Ok os heres my situation. I have created a database style program that stores a persons info (name,address,phone number etc.) in a file ("database"). after i read in all the values above, i assign them to a line variable:

line="$name^$address^$phonenum" >> phonebuk

as you can see i am using my own delimeter ^. I specified that

IFS=^ at the top of my script.

the information, as u can see above, is being redirected into a phonebuk file which is acting as my "database".

but heres my problem. when i cat my phonebuk with the IFS=^ at the top of my script, the output is as follows:

name address phonenum

(notice that there is no delimeter ( ^ ) )

but when i take out the IFS=^ at the top of my script, the output is as follows:

name^address^phonenum

why does the IFS remove the delimeter ^ from my database line? i need the delimeter in order to perform further operations on the information contained in the database like edit an individual field and so on.

please help me. im in the stickiest situation since sticky the stick-insect got stuck on a sticky bun.

That is the purpose of the IFS. You can directly process the file seperated by '^' so and not have to bother with having to use things like cut and awk.

As an example:

Code:

#!/bin/ksh
IFS='^'
while read x y z; do
echo $x $y $z
done < tmp.tmp

tmp.tmp:
a^b^c
d^e^f
i^j^k