Unix: Using filename from another file - unix

Question

A basic Unix question.
I have a script which counts the number of records in a delta file.
awk '{
n++
} END {
if(n >= 1000) print "${completeFile}"; else print "${deltaFile}";
}' <${deltaFile} >${fileToUse}
Then, depending on the IF condition, I want to process the appropriate file:
cut -c2-11 < ${fileToUse}
But how do I use the contents of the file as the filename itself?
And if there are any tweaks to be made, feel free.
Thanks in advance
Cheers
Simon

Answer 1

To use as a filename the contents of a file which is itself identified by a variable (as asked)
cut -c2-11 <"$( cat $filetouse )"
// or in zsh just
cut -c2-11 <"$( < $filetouse )"
unless the filename in the file ends with one or more newline character(s), which people rarely do because it's quite awkward and inconvenient, then something like:
read -rdX var <$filetouse; cut -c2-11 < "${var%?}"
// where X is a character that doesn't occur in the filename
// maybe something like $'\x1f'
Tweaks: your awk prints the variable reference ${completeFile} or ${deltaFile} (because they're within the single-quoted awk script) not the value of either variable. If you actually want the value, as I'd expect from your description, you should pass the shell vars to awk vars like this
awk -vf="$completeFile" -vd="$deltaFile" '{n++} END{if(n>=1000)print f; else print d}' <"$deltaFile"`
# the " around $var can be omitted if the value contains no whitespace and no glob chars
# people _often_ but not always choose filenames that satisfy this
# and they must not contain backslash in any case
or export the shell vars as env vars (if they aren't already) and access them like
awk '{n++} END{if(n>=1000) print ENVIRON["completeFile"]; else print ENVIRON["deltaFile"]}' <"$deltaFile"
Also you don't need your own counter, awk already counts input records
awk -vf=... -vd=... 'END{if(NR>=1000)print f;else print d}' <...
or more briefly
awk -vf=... -vd=... 'END{print (NR>=1000?f:d)}' <...
or using a file argument instead of redirection so the name is available to the script
awk -vf="$completeFile" 'END{print (NR>=1000?f:FILENAME)}' "$deltaFile" # no <
and barring trailing newlines as above you don't need an intermediate file at all, just
cut -c2-11 <"$( awk -vf="$completeFile" -'END{print (NR>=1000?f:FILENAME)}' "$deltaFile")"
Or you don't really need awk, wc can do the counting and any POSIX or classic shell can do the comparison
if [ $(wc -l <"$deltaFile") -ge 1000 ]; then c="$completeFile"; else c="$deltaFile"; fi
cut -c2-11 <"$c"