test field for numeric or alpha-numeric 2

[rufflocks]

The record is pipe-delimited.
I want to check if a field is numeric or alpha-numeric.
something like: if ($2 is numeric) { do something; }

Any suggestions?

 

[vgersh99]

if ($2 ~ /^[0-9][0-9]*$/) { doNumeric }

vlad
+----------------------------+
| #include<disclaimer.h> |
+----------------------------+

 

[rufflocks]

Thank you.

Tell me, though, why is it necessary to have two [0-9]'s?
I tried the script as: &quot;if ($2 ~ /^[0-9]*$/) {doNumeric }&quot; and it seems to give the results I want.

 

[grega]

A single [0-9] will work OK, but it will also match a blank field - the * means 0 or more occurrences of the expression. By using [0-9][0-9] we are ensuring we have at least 1 occurrence of a digit.

Greg.

 

[trifo]

As * means 0 or more, + means 1 or more...

--Trifo