Command-line directories (The GNU Awk User’s Guide)
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4.13 Directories on the Command Line
According to the POSIX standard, files named on the awk
command line must be text files; it is a fatal error if they are not. Most versions of awk
treat a directory on the command line as a fatal error.
By default, gawk
produces a warning for a directory on the command line, but otherwise ignores it. This makes it easier to use shell wildcards with your awk
program:
$ gawk -f whizprog.awk * Directories could kill this program
If either of the --posix
or --traditional
options is given, then gawk
reverts to treating a directory on the command line as a fatal error.
See section Reading Directories for a way to treat directories as usable data from an awk
program.