The problem is that the field themselves can contain quotes ('"'), which escapes the comma. So the standard FS=/-f doesn't work properly. It looks like FPAT f

The problem is that the field themselves can contain quotes ('"'), which escapes the comma. So the standard FS=/-f doesn't work properly. It looks like FPAT from your linked article is for gawk. Gawk is great, but it's not everywhere. Still - it's good to know. Thanks!