The {c++} in Ghostdog74's response was not a reference to C++ the language, but autoincrementing the variable c in his awk script - just to clarify that small point.
It is always best to explain specifications as fully and accurately as possible, it saves a lot of wasted effort. I do appreciate that it rarely ever happens for one reason and another, but consider that you were paying for the wasted time, would that make you any more consise?
Nice picture - good luck with the puzzle. I guess you're the project manager!

Nice script Ghostdog, pity about the spec.

Thanks,
And I am sorry about any time that I might have wasted.

whoops... looks like my text editor left some hidden restore files in each of the directories

thanks a bunch!

Not meant as harsh criticism, but to point out that you might have reached a satisfactory conclusion a lot faster if you had thought out your case before presenting it. Not only that, but you may have lost one or two helpers along the way who had used up their available time for assiting others heading up the wrong pass. Just something to bear in mind where possible. I do also appreciate that not everyone with programming problems has English as their first language and so it is often doubly difficult to put a consise case as possible.
It was a very useful and informative thread non-the-less. That's what counts at the end of the day and you got, I hope some very neat answers - to several problems!

RE: "I do also appreciate that not everyone with programming problems has English as their first language and so it is often doubly difficult to put a consise case as possible."

s/consise/concise/

Sorry, Paix, couldn't resist it

I wondered what the Spell Check button was for! I usually remember it after hitting submit, or had you noticed.

I have broad shoulders Chris, take your humour where you find it, because it's those unguarded moments that are normally best.

I just love user scope creep and indirection. Replacing a financial system a while back, it became apparent that the user didn't know what the reports were, they just wanted the same as previously, but when asked what they were - the programmers certainly hadn't been using them for the best part of the last 20 years. Reverse engineering a couple I couldn't figure out a couple of the dependencies and upon enquiring, was told that they just ignored that bit because it had always been wrong. Arhhhhhh!.

Been there, attempted to code that