Trimming Lines in a CSV File Using awk

In many instances, you might want to trim or extract only a specific number of characters from every line in a file. The awk command provides a flexible way to achieve this.

Command Overview

awk '{ print substr($0, 1, 14) }' rs.csv > rs_modified.csv

Breakdown

• '{ print substr($0, 1, 14) }':

  • print: This tells awk to output something.
  • substr($0, 1, 14): This function extracts a substring from the entire line ($0). It starts at the first character and captures up to the 14th character.

• > filename_modified.csv: This redirects the output of the awk command into a file named filename_modified.csv.