3

Let's say I have to perform these actions from an input file:

  • extract nth field from a line starting with a given pattern (in the exemple: 2nd field of the line starting with pattern 'name')

  • print the field content at the beginning of every following line, while the line does not start with the selected pattern

  • when a new line matching the pattern is found, repeat step 1 and 2

I'm currently doing this using Python, but it would be better using something light and fast from command line (like awk, for exemple).

Sample input 

name    NAME_A
inf     field_A1
name    NAME_B 
inf field_B1
inf field_B2

Expected output: 

name    NAME_A
NAME_A  inf field_A1
name    NAME_B 
NAME_B  inf field_B1
NAME_B  inf field_B2
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3 Answers 3

Reset to default
2

This can be a way to do it. Note the format may vary depending on the field separators you indicate - those you can define with FS and OFS:

$ awk -v n=2 '/^name/ {a=$(n); print; next} {print a, $0}' file
name    NAME_A
NAME_A inf  field_A1
name    NAME_B 
NAME_B inf  field_B1
NAME_B inf  field_B2

Explanation

  • -v n=2 defines the field number to copy when the pattern is found.
  • /^name/ {a=$(n); print; next} if the line starts with the given pattern, store the given field and print the line.
  • {print a, $0} otherwise, print the current line with the stored value first.

You can generalize the pattern part into something like:

awk -v n=2 -v pat="name" '$1==pat {a=$(n); print; next} {print a, $0}' file
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1 
sed '/^name  */{h;s///;x;n;};G;s/\(.*\)\n\(.*\)/\2        \1/' <<\DATA
name    NAME_A
inf     field_A1
name    NAME_B 
inf field_B1
inf field_B2
DATA

OUTPUT

name    NAME_A
NAME_A  inf     field_A1
name    NAME_B 
NAME_B  inf field_B1
NAME_B  inf field_B2

sed holds every name line and, then removes from same whatever pattern matched it, then it swaps hold space and pattern space before printing,

On every other line, it Gets holdspace appended to pattern space with an intervening newline. Then it just swaps the two sides of that newline and replaces it with a tab.

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1

This might work:

awk '{print $0 ~ pat ? $0 : p OFS $0   }$0 ~ pat{ p = $NF }' pat='name' file
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