UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

AAA|1

gawk 'BEGIN{FS=OFS="|"}

function repeat(str, n, rep, i){
    for(i=1; i<=n; i++)
        rep=rep str
        return rep
}
{
   variable_1=repeat($1,$2)
   variable_2=repeat($1,$2+1)
   variable_3=repeat($1,$2+3)

   for(j=1; j<=3; j++){
      print variable_j
}
}' input

gawk 'BEGIN{FS=OFS="|"}

function repeat(str, n, rep, i){
    for(i=1; i<=n; i++)
        rep=rep str
        return rep
}
{
a[variable_j]=repeat($1, $2+(j-1))

for(k in a){
    for(j=1; j<=3; j++){
        print a[k]
}
}
}' input

awk 'BEGIN{FS=OFS="|"} 

function repeat(str, n, rep, i){                # four parameters 
    for(i=1; i<=n; i++)                         # if n is 0, do nothing
        rep=rep str
        return rep 
}
{
a[variable_j]=repeat($1, $2+(j-1))              # variable_j is undefined thus the empty string is used as the index
                                                # repeat called once with TWO parms only! 
                                                # j is undefined, $2 is 1, so 1 + 0 - 1 = 0, so n in repeat is 0 --> 0 loop executions

for(k in a){                                    # k will be the empty string and the ONLY a element.
    for(j=1; j<=3; j++){                        # 
        print a[k]                              # for this single element, print three empty lines
}
}
}' input

[akshay@localhost tmp]$ echo "AAA|1" | gawk 'BEGIN{FS=OFS="|"}
function repeat(str, n, rep, i){ 
print "n : "n
    for(i=1; i<=n; i++)
        rep=rep str
        return rep
}
{

a[variable_j]=repeat($1, $2+(j-1))  

for(k in a){
    for(j=1; j<=3; j++){
        print k,a[k]
}
}

}' 
n : 0
|
|
|

gawk 'BEGIN{FS=OFS="|"}

function repeat(str, n, rep, i){
    for(i=1; i<=n; i++)
        rep=rep str
        return rep
}
{
    for(j=1; j<=3; j++){
        a[j]=repeat($1, $2+(j-1))
        print a[j]
}
}'

AAA
AAAAAA
AAAAAAAAA