how to extract a record in a text on string match in a file using windows bash

Question

Hi i have a text file sampple.txt as

    =====record1
    title:javabook
    price:$120
    author:john
    path:d:
    =====record2
    title:.netbook
    author:paul
    path:f:
    =====record3
    author:john
    title:phpbook
    subject:php
    path:f:
    price:$150
    =====record4
    title:phpbook
    subject:php
    path:f:
    price:$150

from this i want to split the data based on author, it should split into 2 files which contains

test1.txt

=====record1
    title:javabook
    price:$120
    author:john
    path:d:
=====record3
    author:john
    title:phpbook
    subject:php
    path:f:
    price:$150

and

test2.txt

=====record2
    title:.netbook
    author:paul
    path:f:

like above i want to classify the main sample.txt file into sub files based on author field dynamically please suggest me a way to do it.

Answer 1

try this line:

awk -F: '{a[++i]=$0;if(i==3)f=$2}i==4{for(x=1;x<=i;x++)print a[x]>f".txt";i=0}' file

this line will name the output file with the author's name. And if the name has space, you have to quote it. If you need a numbered text file, it is also easy, just create an array during reading lines. something like:

f['John']=1
f['Tom']=2
f['Jerry']=3
...

this line is just show how would it work.

with your content in file as example:

kent$  awk -F: '{a[++i]=$0;if(i==3)f=$2}i==4{for(x=1;x<=i;x++)print a[x]>f".txt";i=0}' file

kent$  head *.txt
==> john.txt <==
=====record1
title:javabook
author:john
path:d:
=====record3
title:javabook
author:john
path:f:

==> paul.txt <==
=====record2
title:.netbook
author:paul
path:f: