User-defined functions

AWK allows us to define user-defined functions. A large complex can be divided into functions where each function performs a specific task. These functions can be written and tested independently. This functionality means that we can reuse code.

Function definition and syntax

The definition of functions can be given anywhere between the rules of an AWK program. It is not mandatory in AWK to define a function before calling it because AWK first reads the entire program before it starts to execute it. The general syntax for defining a user-defined function is as follows:

function function_name(argument1, argument2, …local variable.) {
                                            body-of-function
 ...