sed(1) - f14

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 extension supplied)
39
40       -c, --copy
41
42              use copy instead of rename when shuffling files in -i mode
43
44       -l N, --line-length=N
45
46              specify the desired line-wrap length for the `l' command
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48       --posix
49
50              disable all GNU extensions.
51
52       -r, --regexp-extended
53
54              use extended regular expressions in the script.
55
56       -s, --separate
57
58              consider  files  as  separate rather than as a single continuous
59              long stream.
60
61       -u, --unbuffered
62
63              load minimal amounts of data from the input files and flush  the
64              output buffers more often
65
66       --help
67              display this help and exit
68
69       --version
70              output version information and exit
71
72       If  no  -e, --expression, -f, or --file option is given, then the first
73       non-option argument is taken as  the  sed  script  to  interpret.   All
74       remaining  arguments  are  names  of input files; if no input files are
75       specified, then the standard input is read.
76
77       GNU sed home page:  <http://www.gnu.org/software/sed/>.   General  help
78       using  GNU software: <http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.  E-mail bug reports
79       to: <bug-gnu-utils@gnu.org>.  Be sure to include the word ``sed'' some‐
80       where in the ``Subject:'' field.
81

COMMAND SYNOPSIS

83       This is just a brief synopsis of sed commands to serve as a reminder to
84       those who already know sed; other documentation (such  as  the  texinfo
85       document) must be consulted for fuller descriptions.
86
87   Zero-address ``commands''
88       : label
89              Label for b and t commands.
90
91       #comment
92              The  comment  extends until the next newline (or the end of a -e
93              script fragment).
94
95       }      The closing bracket of a { } block.
96
97   Zero- or One- address commands
98       =      Print the current line number.
99
100       a \
101
102       text   Append text, which has each embedded newline preceded by a back‐
103              slash.
104
105       i \
106
107       text   Insert text, which has each embedded newline preceded by a back‐
108              slash.
109
110       q [exit-code]
111              Immediately quit the sed  script  without  processing  any  more
112              input,  except  that  if  auto-print is not disabled the current
113              pattern space will be printed.  The exit code argument is a  GNU
114              extension.
115
116       Q [exit-code]
117              Immediately  quit  the  sed  script  without processing any more
118              input.  This is a GNU extension.
119
120       r filename
121              Append text read from filename.
122
123       R filename
124              Append a line read from filename.  Each invocation of  the  com‐
125              mand reads a line from the file.  This is a GNU extension.
126
127   Commands which accept address ranges
128       {      Begin a block of commands (end with a }).
129
130       b label
131              Branch to label; if label is omitted, branch to end of script.
132
133       t label
134              If  a  s///  has  done  a successful substitution since the last
135              input line was read and since the last  t  or  T  command,  then
136              branch to label; if label is omitted, branch to end of script.
137
138       T label
139              If  no  s///  has  done a successful substitution since the last
140              input line was read and since the last  t  or  T  command,  then
141              branch  to  label; if label is omitted, branch to end of script.
142              This is a GNU extension.
143
144       c \
145
146       text   Replace the selected lines with text, which  has  each  embedded
147              newline preceded by a backslash.
148
149       d      Delete pattern space.  Start next cycle.
150
151       D      Delete  up  to  the first embedded newline in the pattern space.
152              Start next cycle, but skip reading from the input  if  there  is
153              still data in the pattern space.
154
155       h H    Copy/append pattern space to hold space.
156
157       g G    Copy/append hold space to pattern space.
158
159       x      Exchange the contents of the hold and pattern spaces.
160
161       l      List out the current line in a ``visually unambiguous'' form.
162
163       l width
164              List  out  the  current line in a ``visually unambiguous'' form,
165              breaking it at width characters.  This is a GNU extension.
166
167       n N    Read/append the next line of input into the pattern space.
168
169       p      Print the current pattern space.
170
171       P      Print up to the first embedded newline of  the  current  pattern
172              space.
173
174       s/regexp/replacement/
175              Attempt  to match regexp against the pattern space.  If success‐
176              ful,  replace  that  portion  matched  with  replacement.    The
177              replacement may contain the special character & to refer to that
178              portion of the pattern space  which  matched,  and  the  special
179              escapes  \1  through  \9  to refer to the corresponding matching
180              sub-expressions in the regexp.
181
182       w filename
183              Write the current pattern space to filename.
184
185       W filename
186              Write the first line of the current pattern space  to  filename.
187              This is a GNU extension.
188
189       y/source/dest/
190              Transliterate  the  characters in the pattern space which appear
191              in source to the corresponding character in dest.
192

Addresses

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

REGULAR EXPRESSIONS

248       POSIX.2 BREs should be supported, but they aren't completely because of
249       performance problems.  The \n sequence in a regular expression  matches
250       the newline character, and similarly for \a, \t, and other sequences.
251

BUGS

253       E-mail  bug  reports  to  bonzini@gnu.org.  Be sure to include the word
254       ``sed'' somewhere in the ``Subject:'' field.  Also, please include  the
255       output of ``sed --version'' in the body of your report if at all possi‐
256       ble.
257

COPYRIGHT

259       Copyright © 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
260       This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.  There is
261       NO  warranty;  not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
262       PURPOSE, to the extent permitted by law.
263
264       GNU sed home page:  <http://www.gnu.org/software/sed/>.   General  help
265       using  GNU software: <http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.  E-mail bug reports
266       to: <bug-gnu-utils@gnu.org>.  Be sure to include the word ``sed'' some‐
267       where in the ``Subject:'' field.
268