7.1 Pattern Elements

7.1.1 Regular Expressions as Patterns		Using regexps as patterns.
7.1.2 Expressions as Patterns		Any expression can be used as a pattern.
7.1.3 Specifying Record Ranges with Patterns		Pairs of patterns specify record ranges.
7.1.4 The BEGIN and END Special Patterns		Specifying initialization and cleanup rules.
7.1.5 The Empty Pattern		The empty pattern, which matches every record.

Patterns in awk control the execution of rules--a rule is executed when its pattern matches the current input record. The following is a summary of the types of patterns in awk:

/regular expression/

A regular expression. It matches when the text of the input record fits the regular expression. (See section Regular Expressions.)

expression

A single expression. It matches when its value is nonzero (if a number) or non-null (if a string). (See section Expressions as Patterns.)

pat1, pat2

A pair of patterns separated by a comma, specifying a range of records. The range includes both the initial record that matches pat1 and the final record that matches pat2. (See section Specifying Record Ranges with Patterns.)

BEGIN

END

Special patterns for you to supply startup or cleanup actions for your awk program. (See section The BEGIN and END Special Patterns.)

empty

The empty pattern matches every input record. (See section The Empty Pattern.)