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)