hello everyone!!! a have some really big question marks and i hope u can give me some answers!
lets say i have an input file like this :
a b d g
a b c d e f g h
a c d f g h
a b c d g

i need to arrange the fields in an output file like this:
a b - d - - g -
a b c d e f g h
a - c d - f g h
a b c d - - g -

for this i came up with the script below :


awk ; { if(max_nf<NF)
max_nf=NF;
max_nr=NR
for(i=1;i<=NF;i++)
v[i,NR]=$i;
}
END {for (i=1;i<=max_nr;i++)
for(j=1;j<=max_nf;j++)
{if (j==1 && v[j,i]!="a")
{for(k=max_nf;k>j;k--)
v[k,i]=v[k-1,i];
v[j,i]="-";}
------------------------
if (j==8 && v[j,i]!="a")
{for(k=max_nf;k>j;k--)
v[k,i]=v[k-1,i];
v[j,i]="-";}
}
for(i=1;i<=max_nr;i++)
{for(j=1;j<=max_nf;j++)
printf("%s ",v[j,i]);
printf("\n");}
}


Now, if i run the script on a Ubuntu system it works perfectly!
But i really HAVE to run it on a Solaris 5.9 and there is the problem!!!
Apparently i has "syntax errors" at assigning v[i,Nr]=$i, and at all "for" loops .
So, it's not a code problem, but a syntax one.
The thing is both systems have /usr/bin/awk and /usr/bin/nawk.
How can i find out what my version of awk can support and what it can't?
And more importantly, how do i rewrite the script in order to work on the Solaris?
Hope anyone cand help me

Solaris has old school versions of such utilities.
Linux has the latest, greatest GNU versions.
On my system awk is symlinked to mawk for example.

If your script won't run under nawk then try gawk.
You can get gawk for solaris from blastwave.org

The awk lineage goes something like:
awk
n(ew)awk
g(nu)awk
m(?)awk
what's next, squawk???

WP has some history, if you're interested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awk

GNU awk does not have multi-dimensional arrays. It simulates multi-dimensional arrays by concatenating the indices and using the result as an index for a one-dimensional array. You can easily do this yourself by writing

instead of

thank u both for your suggestion...
i don't have permission to update the system , so i can't get gawk.
i will try instead simulating the multi dimensional array.
i'' be back to tell u if it worked.
thanks again!