sed(1) - c6

1SED(1)                           User Commands                          SED(1)
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NAME

6       sed - stream editor for filtering and transforming text
7

SYNOPSIS

9       sed [OPTION]... {script-only-if-no-other-script} [input-file]...
10

DESCRIPTION

12       Sed  is a stream editor.  A stream editor is used to perform basic text
13       transformations on an input stream (a file or input from  a  pipeline).
14       While  in  some  ways similar to an editor which permits scripted edits
15       (such as ed), sed works by making only one pass over the input(s),  and
16       is consequently more efficient.  But it is sed's ability to filter text
17       in a pipeline which particularly distinguishes it from other  types  of
18       editors.
19
20       -n, --quiet, --silent
21
22              suppress automatic printing of pattern space
23
24       -e script, --expression=script
25
26              add the script to the commands to be executed
27
28       -f script-file, --file=script-file
29
30              add the contents of script-file to the commands to be executed
31
32       --follow-symlinks
33
34              follow  symlinks when processing in place; hard links will still
35              be broken.
36
37       -i[SUFFIX], --in-place[=SUFFIX]
38
39              edit files in place (makes backup if extension  supplied).   The
40              default  operation  mode  is  to  break symbolic and hard links.
41              This can be changed with --follow-symlinks and --copy.
42
43       -c, --copy
44
45              use copy instead of rename when  shuffling  files  in  -i  mode.
46              While  this  will  avoid  breaking links (symbolic or hard), the
47              resulting editing operation is not atomic.  This is  rarely  the
48              desired  mode;  --follow-symlinks  is  usually enough, and it is
49              both faster and more secure.
50
51       -l N, --line-length=N
52
53              specify the desired line-wrap length for the `l' command
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55       --posix
56
57              disable all GNU extensions.
58
59       -r, --regexp-extended
60
61              use extended regular expressions in the script.
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63       -s, --separate
64
65              consider files as separate rather than as  a  single  continuous
66              long stream.
67
68       -u, --unbuffered
69
70              load  minimal amounts of data from the input files and flush the
71              output buffers more often
72
73       --help
74              display this help and exit
75
76       --version
77              output version information and exit
78
79       If no -e, --expression, -f, or --file option is given, then  the  first
80       non-option  argument  is  taken  as  the  sed script to interpret.  All
81       remaining arguments are names of input files; if  no  input  files  are
82       specified, then the standard input is read.
83
84       GNU  sed  home  page: <http://www.gnu.org/software/sed/>.  General help
85       using GNU software: <http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.  E-mail bug  reports
86       to: <bug-gnu-utils@gnu.org>.  Be sure to include the word ``sed'' some‐
87       where in the ``Subject:'' field.
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COMMAND SYNOPSIS

90       This is just a brief synopsis of sed commands to serve as a reminder to
91       those  who  already  know sed; other documentation (such as the texinfo
92       document) must be consulted for fuller descriptions.
93
94   Zero-address ``commands''
95       : label
96              Label for b and t commands.
97
98       #comment
99              The comment extends until the next newline (or the end of  a  -e
100              script fragment).
101
102       }      The closing bracket of a { } block.
103
104   Zero- or One- address commands
105       =      Print the current line number.
106
107       a \
108
109       text   Append text, which has each embedded newline preceded by a back‐
110              slash.
111
112       i \
113
114       text   Insert text, which has each embedded newline preceded by a back‐
115              slash.
116
117       q [exit-code]
118              Immediately  quit  the  sed  script  without processing any more
119              input, except that if auto-print is  not  disabled  the  current
120              pattern  space will be printed.  The exit code argument is a GNU
121              extension.
122
123       Q [exit-code]
124              Immediately quit the sed  script  without  processing  any  more
125              input.  This is a GNU extension.
126
127       r filename
128              Append text read from filename.
129
130       R filename
131              Append  a  line read from filename.  Each invocation of the com‐
132              mand reads a line from the file.  This is a GNU extension.
133
134   Commands which accept address ranges
135       {      Begin a block of commands (end with a }).
136
137       b label
138              Branch to label; if label is omitted, branch to end of script.
139
140       t label
141              If a s/// has done a  successful  substitution  since  the  last
142              input  line  was  read  and  since the last t or T command, then
143              branch to label; if label is omitted, branch to end of script.
144
145       T label
146              If no s/// has done a successful  substitution  since  the  last
147              input  line  was  read  and  since the last t or T command, then
148              branch to label; if label is omitted, branch to end  of  script.
149              This is a GNU extension.
150
151       c \
152
153       text   Replace  the  selected  lines with text, which has each embedded
154              newline preceded by a backslash.
155
156       d      Delete pattern space.  Start next cycle.
157
158       D      Delete up to the first embedded newline in  the  pattern  space.
159              Start  next  cycle,  but skip reading from the input if there is
160              still data in the pattern space.
161
162       h H    Copy/append pattern space to hold space.
163
164       g G    Copy/append hold space to pattern space.
165
166       x      Exchange the contents of the hold and pattern spaces.
167
168       l      List out the current line in a ``visually unambiguous'' form.
169
170       l width
171              List out the current line in a  ``visually  unambiguous''  form,
172              breaking it at width characters.  This is a GNU extension.
173
174       n N    Read/append the next line of input into the pattern space.
175
176       p      Print the current pattern space.
177
178       P      Print  up  to  the first embedded newline of the current pattern
179              space.
180
181       s/regexp/replacement/
182              Attempt to match regexp against the pattern space.  If  success‐
183              ful,   replace  that  portion  matched  with  replacement.   The
184              replacement may contain the special character & to refer to that
185              portion  of  the  pattern  space  which matched, and the special
186              escapes \1 through \9 to refer  to  the  corresponding  matching
187              sub-expressions in the regexp.
188
189       w filename
190              Write the current pattern space to filename.
191
192       W filename
193              Write  the  first line of the current pattern space to filename.
194              This is a GNU extension.
195
196       y/source/dest/
197              Transliterate the characters in the pattern space  which  appear
198              in source to the corresponding character in dest.
199

Addresses

201       Sed  commands can be given with no addresses, in which case the command
202       will be executed for all input lines; with one address, in  which  case
203       the  command  will  only  be  executed for input lines which match that
204       address; or with two addresses, in which case the command will be  exe‐
205       cuted  for  all  input  lines  which match the inclusive range of lines
206       starting from the first address and continuing to the  second  address.
207       Three  things  to  note about address ranges: the syntax is addr1,addr2
208       (i.e., the addresses are separated by a comma); the  line  which  addr1
209       matched will always be accepted, even if addr2 selects an earlier line;
210       and if addr2 is a regexp, it will not be tested against the  line  that
211       addr1 matched.
212
213       After  the address (or address-range), and before the command, a !  may
214       be inserted, which specifies that the command shall only be executed if
215       the address (or address-range) does not match.
216
217       The following address types are supported:
218
219       number Match only the specified line number.
220
221       first~step
222              Match every step'th line starting with line first.  For example,
223              ``sed -n 1~2p'' will print all the  odd-numbered  lines  in  the
224              input  stream,  and the address 2~5 will match every fifth line,
225              starting with the second.  first can be zero; in this case,  sed
226              operates as if it were equal to step.  (This is an extension.)
227
228       $      Match the last line.
229
230       /regexp/
231              Match lines matching the regular expression regexp.
232
233       \cregexpc
234              Match  lines  matching the regular expression regexp.  The c may
235              be any character.
236
237       GNU sed also supports some special 2-address forms:
238
239       0,addr2
240              Start out in "matched  first  address"  state,  until  addr2  is
241              found.  This is similar to 1,addr2, except that if addr2 matches
242              the very first line of input the 0,addr2 form will be at the end
243              of  its  range,  whereas  the  1,addr2 form will still be at the
244              beginning of its range.  This works only when addr2 is a regular
245              expression.
246
247       addr1,+N
248              Will match addr1 and the N lines following addr1.
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250       addr1,~N
251              Will  match  addr1  and the lines following addr1 until the next
252              line whose input line number is a multiple of N.
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REGULAR EXPRESSIONS

255       POSIX.2 BREs should be supported, but they aren't completely because of
256       performance  problems.  The \n sequence in a regular expression matches
257       the newline character, and similarly for \a, \t, and other sequences.
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BUGS

260       E-mail bug reports to bonzini@gnu.org.  Be sure  to  include  the  word
261       ``sed''  somewhere in the ``Subject:'' field.  Also, please include the
262       output of ``sed --version'' in the body of your report if at all possi‐
263       ble.
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COPYRIGHT

266       Copyright © 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
267       This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.  There is
268       NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR  A  PARTICULAR
269       PURPOSE, to the extent permitted by law.
270
271       GNU  sed  home  page: <http://www.gnu.org/software/sed/>.  General help
272       using GNU software: <http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.  E-mail bug  reports
273       to: <bug-gnu-utils@gnu.org>.  Be sure to include the word ``sed'' some‐
274       where in the ``Subject:'' field.
275