NAME

       jot - print sequential or random data

SYNOPSIS

       jot [ options ] [ reps [ begin [ end [ s ] ] ] ]

DESCRIPTION

       Jot  is  used  to  print  out  increasing,  decreasing, random, or redundant data, usually
       numbers, one per line.  The options are understood as follows.

       -r     Generate random data instead of sequential data, the default.

       -b word
              Just print word repetitively.

       -w word
              Print  word  with  the  generated  data  appended  to  it.    Octal,   hexadecimal,
              exponential, ASCII, zero padded, and right-adjusted representations are possible by
              using the appropriate printf(3) conversion specification inside word, in which case
              the data are inserted rather than appended.

       -c     This is an abbreviation for -w %c.

       -s string
              Print data separated by string.  Normally, newlines separate data.

       -n     Do not print the final newline normally appended to the output.

       -p precision
              Print  only  as  many  digits or characters of the data as indicated by the integer
              precision.  In the absence of -p, the precision is the greater of the precisions of
              begin  and  end.   The  -p  option is overridden by whatever appears in a printf(3)
              conversion following -w.

       The last four arguments indicate, respectively, the number of data, the lower  bound,  the
       upper  bound, and the step size or, for random data, the seed.  While at least one of them
       must appear, any of the other three may be omitted, and will  be  considered  as  such  if
       given  as  -.   Any three of these arguments determines the fourth.  If four are specified
       and the given and computed values of reps conflict, the lower value  is  used.   If  fewer
       than three are specified, defaults are assigned left to right, except for s, which assumes
       its default unless both begin and end are given.

       Defaults for the four arguments are, respectively, 100, 1, 100, and 1,  except  that  when
       random  data  are requested, s defaults to a seed depending upon the time of day.  Reps is
       expected to be an unsigned integer, and if given as zero is taken to be  infinite.   Begin
       and end may be given as real numbers or as characters representing the corresponding value
       in ASCII.  The last argument must be a real number.

       Random numbers are obtained through random(3).  The name jot derives in part from iota,  a
       function in APL.

EXAMPLES

       The command

              jot   21   -1   1.00

       prints  21  evenly  spaced  numbers  increasing  from -1 to 1.  The ASCII character set is
       generated with

              jot   -c   128   0

       and the strings xaa through xaz with

              jot   -w   xa%c   26   a

       while 20 random 8-letter strings are produced with

              jot   -r   -c   160   a   z   |   rs   -g   0   8

       Infinitely many yes's may be obtained through

              jot   -b   yes   0

       and thirty ed(1) substitution commands applying to lines 2, 7, 12, etc. is the result of

              jot   -w   %ds/old/new/   30   2   -   5

       The stuttering sequence 9, 9, 8, 8,  7,  etc.  can  be  produced  by  suitable  choice  of
       precision and step size, as in

              jot   0   9   -   -.5

       and a file containing exactly 1024 bytes is created with

              jot   -b   x   512   >   block

       Finally,  to  set tabs four spaces apart starting from column 10 and ending in column 132,
       use

              expand   -`jot   -s,   -   10   132   4`

       and to print all lines 80 characters or longer,

              grep   `jot   -s   ""   -b   .   80`

SEE ALSO

       ed(1), expand(1), rs(1), yes(1), printf(3), random(3), expand(1)