You have a file records.txt with tab-separated values. You want to extract the 1st and 3rd columns but only if the 3rd column is not empty. Which command correctly does this?

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Linux CLI - Text Processing

You have a file records.txt with tab-separated values. You want to extract the 1st and 3rd columns but only if the 3rd column is not empty. Which command correctly does this?

Acut -f 1,3 records.txt | grep -v '^\t$' | cut -f 3

Bawk -F '\t' '$3 != "" {print $1, $3}' records.txt

Ccut -f 1,3 records.txt | grep -v '^\t$'

Dcut -f 1,3 records.txt | grep '^\t$'

Step-by-Step Solution

Solution:

Step 1: Understand cut limitation
cut extracts columns but cannot filter lines based on content.
Step 2: Use a tool that filters lines by field content
awk can check if the 3rd field is not empty and print the 1st and 3rd fields.
Step 3: Analyze options
awk -F '\t' '$3 != "" {print $1, $3}' records.txt uses awk with tab delimiter and condition $3 != "", printing fields 1 and 3 correctly.
Final Answer:
awk -F '\t' '$3 != "" {print $1, $3}' records.txt -> Option B
Quick Check:
Use awk to filter and extract columns [OK]

Quick Trick: Use awk for filtering and extracting columns together [OK]

Common Mistakes:

Trying to filter lines using cut alone
Using grep incorrectly to filter empty fields
Not specifying correct delimiter in awk

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More Linux CLI Quizzes

You have a file records.txt with tab-separated values. You want to extract the 1st and 3rd columns but only if the 3rd column is not empty. Which command correctly does this?

Step 1: Understand cut limitation

Step 2: Use a tool that filters lines by field content

Step 3: Analyze options

Final Answer:

Quick Check:

Want More Practice?

Step 1: Understand `cut` limitation