In awk.1, the description of the various forms of the getline
function is confused.  _The AWK Programming Language_, second
edition, sums it up in this table (p. 204):

       TABLE A-10. GETLINE FUNCTION
    ===================================
        Expression    |      Sets
    ------------------+----------------
    getline           | $0, NF, NR, FNR
    getline var       | var, NR, FNR
    getline <file     | $0, NF
    getline var <file | var
    cmd | getline     | $0, NF
    cmd | getline var | var
    ------------------+----------------

Here's a minimal diff to rectify the description.

OK?

diff /usr/src
path + /usr/src
commit - 96d2c82cdceb02b2a47cd4a061a37a610b190481
blob - 9fa1b4b5da044e334433e2123e855f3770c1ebe6
file + usr.bin/awk/awk.1
--- usr.bin/awk/awk.1
+++ usr.bin/awk/awk.1
@@ -790,12 +790,11 @@ is omitted.
 .Fa expr
 should match the string that was used to open the file or pipe.
 .It Ic getline
-Sets
-.Va $0
-to the next input record from the current input file.
+Reads the next record from the current input file.
 This form of
 .Ic getline
 sets the variables
+.Va $0 ,
 .Va NF ,
 .Va NR ,
 and
@@ -803,13 +802,11 @@ and
 .Ic getline
 returns 1 for a successful input, 0 for end of file, and \-1 for an error.
 .It Ic getline Va var
-Sets
-.Va $0
-to variable
-.Va var .
+Reads the next record from the current input file.
 This form of
 .Ic getline
 sets the variables
+.Va var ,
 .Va NR
 and
 .Va FNR .
@@ -819,9 +816,7 @@ returns 1 for a successful input, 0 for end of file, a
 .Ic getline Op Va var
 .Pf <\ \& Ar file
 .Xc
-Sets
-.Va $0
-to the next record from
+Reads the next record from
 .Ar file .
 If
 .Va var
-- 
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber                          naddy@mips.inka.de