grep, etc

[Bob Stockler]

On Thu, Aug 19, 2004 at 11:08:42AM -0400, Jay R. Ashworth wrote:
| On Thu, Aug 19, 2004 at 10:46:32AM -0400, Bill Vermillion wrote:
| > > Well, in the *exact* instance he used as an example, it would work.
| > 
| > > But what happens if he wants -213 through -226?
| > 
| > grep '-2[12][3-6]$' file  :-)
| 
| Which precisely illustrates my point as to why it wouldn't work.
| 
| That won't match -217 through -222. 
| 
| If the criterion is in fact numeric, treating the numbers as strings
| won't work.

I don't think grep knows the difference between numbers and
strings.  AWKs do, but sometimes they don't care.

Bob

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