Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!mcnc!duke!jvb From: jvb@duke.UUCP (Jack V. Briner, Jr.) Newsgroups: net.sources Subject: Re: "printf" lookalike from shell-level (for VAXen) Message-ID: <9068@duke.duke.UUCP> Date: Wed, 14-Jan-87 10:30:14 EST Article-I.D.: duke.9068 Posted: Wed Jan 14 10:30:14 1987 Date-Received: Thu, 15-Jan-87 18:51:49 EST References: <9@gyre.UUCP> <1332@masscomp.UUCP> Reply-To: jvb@duke.UUCP (Jack V. Briner) Organization: Duke University, Durham NC Lines: 8 In a series of articles people have been working on how to get a printf function for the shell. I would like to refine Sam Black's so that it avoids an unnecessary piped command. Try: alias printf "awk 'BEGIN {printf(\!*); exit;}'" This will have to be modified if your history character is a "!". If your history character is a "," you will have to be careful about its usage.