New with AWK, need help

[ionguang]

Could anyone tell me the basic idea for dealing this question?
The question is reformat a text into an XML-styled format.

Once upon a midnight <TAB> dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of<Tab>forgotten lore,

become:

<row>
<entry>Once upon a midnight</entry>
<entry>dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>Over many a quaint and curious volume of<entry</entry>
<entry>forgotten lore, </entry>
<row>

I am consider by reading per character, tab separated and line feed should be the case.
How can I detect it is a tab separated and it is going to create a new line in awk ?

note: <TAB> is tab separated. this forums ignore tap.

[Franklin52]

note: <TAB> is tab separated. this forums ignore tap.

Use code tags.

Try this:

awk -F "\t" '{
  print "<row>"
  for(i=1;i<=NF;i++){
    print "<entry>" $i "</entry>"
  }
  print "</row>"
}' file > newfile