Re: binary search in a file

[Colin S. Miller]

Sorav Bansal wrote:
> Is there a utility to search for a value in a sorted file using binary 
> search. The file was sorted using the 'sort' command.
>
> thanks!
> Sorav
Is there any reason why you want to use a binary search, except for speed?

Unless the lines are fixed-length, after each chop, the search program
will have to find the start-of-line character.
This is likely to negate any advantage gained from binary searches.


I'd sugest just sticking to grep. You can use the '-l' (ell) option -
this will exit when the first matching line is found, (but not display 
 it).


Colin S. Miller