在处理文本文件方面，awk语言是处理数据提取、报告和数据格式的理想工具。
　　《高效awk编程（影印版 第4版 英文版）》既是POSIX标准awk与GNU实现（即gawk）的参考，也是教材。《高效awk编程（影印版 第4版 英文版）》为从初学者到awk专家级别的广泛用户提供有用参考。
　　在《高效awk编程（影印版 第4版 英文版）》中，作为作者罗宾斯同时也是gawk的主要开发人员，ArnoldRobbins详细讲解了awk语言以及gawk程序，演示了如何使用awk和gawk解决实际问题，并深入gawk的功能细节。

Foreword to the Third Edition
Foreword to the Fourth Edition
Preface

Part Ⅰ. The awk Language
1. Getting Started with awk
How to Run awk Programs
One-Shot Throwaway awk Programs
Running awk Without Input Files
Running Long Programs
Executable awk Programs
Comments in awk Programs
Shell Quoting Issues
Datafiles for the Examples
Some Simple Examples
An Example with Two Rules
A More Complex Example
awk Statements Versus Lines
Other Features of awk
When to Use awk
Summary
2. Running awk and gawk
Invoking awk
Command-Line Options
Other Command-Line Arguments
Naming Standard Input
The Environment Variables gawk Uses
The AWKPATH Environment Variable
The AWKLIBPATH Environment Variable
Other Environment Variables
gawks Exit Status
Including Other Files into Your Program
Loading Dynamic Extensions into Your Program
Obsolete Options and/or Features
Undocumented Options and Features
Summary
3. Regular Expressions
How to Use Regular Expressions
Escape Sequences
Regular Expression Operators
Using Bracket Expressions
How Much Text Matches？
Using Dynamic Regexps
gawk-Specific Regexp Operators
Case Sensitivity in Matching
Summary
4. Reading Input Files
How Input Is Split into Records
Record Splitting with Standard awk
Record Splitting with gawk
Examining Fields
Nonconstant Field Numbers
Changing the Contents of a Field
Specifying How Fields Are Separated
Whitespace Normally Separates Fields
Using Regular Expressions to Separate Fields
Making Each Character a Separate Field
Setting FS from the Command Line
Making the Full Line Be a Single Field
Field-Splitting Summary
Reading Fixed-Width Data
Defining Fields by Content
Multiple-Line Records
Explicit Input with getline
Using getline with No Arguments
Using getline into a Variable
Using getline from a File
5. Printing Output
6. Expressions
7. Patterns， Actions， and Variables
8. Arrays in awk
9. Functions

Part Ⅱ. Problem Solving with awk
1O. A Library of awk Functions
11. Practical awk Programs

Part Ⅲ. Moving Beyond Standard awkwith gawk
12. Advanced Features of gawk
13. Internationalization with gawk
14. Debugging awk Programs
15. Arithmetic and Arbitrary-Precision Arithmetic with gawk
16. Writing Extensions for gawk

Part Ⅳ. Appendices
A. The Evolution of the awk Language
B. Installing gawk
C. GNU General Public License

Index

　　《高校awk编程（影印版 第4版 英文版）》：
　　A format specirication can also include modillers that can control how much ofthe item's value is printed， as well as how much space it gets.The modifiers come between the % and the format—control letter.We use the bullet symbol "." in the following examples to represent spaces in the output.Here are the possible modifiers，in the order in which they may appear：
　　NS
　　An integer constant followed by a '$' is a positional specifier.Normally， format specitlcations are applied to arguments in the order given in the format string.
　　……