2.1 How to Run awk Programs

There are several ways to run an awk program. If the program is short, it is easiest to include it in the command that runs awk, like this:

awk 'program' input-file1 input-file2 ...

When the program is long, it is usually more convenient to put it in a file and run it with a command like this:

awk -f program-file input-file1 input-file2 ...

This section discusses both mechanisms, along with several variations of each.

2.1.1 One-Shot Throw-Away awk Programs		Running a short throw-away awk program.
2.1.2 Running awk Without Input Files		Using no input files (input from terminal instead).
2.1.3 Running Long Programs		Putting permanent awk programs in files.
2.1.4 Executable awk Programs		Making self-contained awk programs.
2.1.5 Comments in awk Programs		Adding documentation to gawk programs.
2.1.6 Shell Quoting Issues		More discussion of shell quoting issues.