sed(1) - c8

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
35
36       -i[SUFFIX], --in-place[=SUFFIX]
37
38              edit files in place (makes backup if SUFFIX supplied)
39
40       -l N, --line-length=N
41
42              specify the desired line-wrap length for the `l' command
43
44       --posix
45
46              disable all GNU extensions.
47
48       -E, -r, --regexp-extended
49
50              use  extended regular expressions in the script (for portability
51              use POSIX -E).
52
53       -s, --separate
54
55              consider files as separate rather than as a  single,  continuous
56              long stream.
57
58       --sandbox
59
60              operate in sandbox mode (disable e/r/w commands).
61
62       -u, --unbuffered
63
64              load  minimal amounts of data from the input files and flush the
65              output buffers more often
66
67       -z, --null-data
68
69              separate lines by NUL characters
70
71       --help
72              display this help and exit
73
74       --version
75              output version information and exit
76
77       If no -e, --expression, -f, or --file option is given, then  the  first
78       non-option  argument  is  taken  as  the  sed script to interpret.  All
79       remaining arguments are names of input files; if  no  input  files  are
80       specified, then the standard input is read.
81
82       GNU  sed  home page: <https://www.gnu.org/software/sed/>.  General help
83       using GNU software: <https://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.  E-mail bug reports
84       to: <bug-sed@gnu.org>.
85

COMMAND SYNOPSIS

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

Addresses

200       Sed commands can be given with no addresses, in which case the  command
201       will  be  executed for all input lines; with one address, in which case
202       the command will only be executed for  input  lines  which  match  that
203       address;  or with two addresses, in which case the command will be exe‐
204       cuted for all input lines which match  the  inclusive  range  of  lines
205       starting  from  the first address and continuing to the second address.
206       Three things to note about address ranges: the  syntax  is  addr1,addr2
207       (i.e.,  the  addresses  are separated by a comma); the line which addr1
208       matched will always be accepted, even if addr2 selects an earlier line;
209       and  if  addr2 is a regexp, it will not be tested against the line that
210       addr1 matched.
211
212       After the address (or address-range), and before the command, a !   may
213       be inserted, which specifies that the command shall only be executed if
214       the address (or address-range) does not match.
215
216       The following address types are supported:
217
218       number Match only the specified line number (which  increments  cumula‐
219              tively  across  files,  unless the -s option is specified on the
220              command line).
221
222       first~step
223              Match every step'th line starting with line first.  For example,
224              ``sed  -n  1~2p''  will  print all the odd-numbered lines in the
225              input stream, and the address 2~5 will match every  fifth  line,
226              starting  with the second.  first can be zero; in this case, sed
227              operates as if it were equal to step.  (This is an extension.)
228
229       $      Match the last line.
230
231       /regexp/
232              Match lines matching the regular expression regexp.  Matching is
233              performed  on  the  current pattern space, which can be modified
234              with commands such as ``s///''.
235
236       \cregexpc
237              Match lines matching the regular expression regexp.  The  c  may
238              be any character.
239
240       GNU sed also supports some special 2-address forms:
241
242       0,addr2
243              Start  out  in  "matched  first  address"  state, until addr2 is
244              found.  This is similar to 1,addr2, except that if addr2 matches
245              the very first line of input the 0,addr2 form will be at the end
246              of its range, whereas the 1,addr2 form  will  still  be  at  the
247              beginning of its range.  This works only when addr2 is a regular
248              expression.
249
250       addr1,+N
251              Will match addr1 and the N lines following addr1.
252
253       addr1,~N
254              Will match addr1 and the lines following addr1  until  the  next
255              line whose input line number is a multiple of N.
256

REGULAR EXPRESSIONS

258       POSIX.2 BREs should be supported, but they aren't completely because of
259       performance problems.  The \n sequence in a regular expression  matches
260       the  newline  character, and similarly for \a, \t, and other sequences.
261       The -E option switches to using extended regular  expressions  instead;
262       the  -E  option  has  been  supported  for years by GNU sed, and is now
263       included in POSIX.
264

BUGS

266       E-mail bug reports to bug-sed@gnu.org.  Also, please include the output
267       of ``sed --version'' in the body of your report if at all possible.
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AUTHOR

270       Written by Jay Fenlason, Tom Lord, Ken Pizzini, and Paolo Bonzini.  GNU
271       sed home page: <https://www.gnu.org/software/sed/>.  General help using
272       GNU  software:  <https://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.  E-mail bug reports to:
273       <bug-sed@gnu.org>.
274

COPYRIGHT

276       Copyright © 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.   License  GPLv3+:  GNU
277       GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
278       This  is  free  software:  you  are free to change and redistribute it.
279       There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
280