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NAME

       ed - text editor

SYNOPSIS

       ed [ - ] [ -o ] [ file ]

DESCRIPTION

       Ed is a venerable text editor.

       If  a file argument is given, ed simulates an command (see below) on that file: it is read
       into ed's buffer so that it can be edited.  The options are

       -      Suppress the printing of character counts by and commands and of the confirming  by
              commands.

       -o     (for  output  piping) Write all output to the standard error file except writing by
              commands.  If no file is given, make  /dev/stdout  the  remembered  file;  see  the
              command below.

       Ed  operates  on  a `buffer', a copy of the file it is editing; changes made in the buffer
       have no effect on the file until a (write) command is given.  The copy of the  text  being
       edited resides in a temporary file called the buffer.

       Commands  to  ed have a simple and regular structure: zero, one, or two addresses followed
       by a single character command, possibly followed by  parameters  to  the  command.   These
       addresses  specify  one  or  more  lines in the buffer.  Missing addresses are supplied by
       default.

       In general, only one command may appear on a line.  Certain commands allow the addition of
       text  to the buffer.  While ed is accepting text, it is said to be in input mode.  In this
       mode, no commands are recognized; all input is merely collected.  Input mode  is  left  by
       typing a period alone at the beginning of a line.

       Ed  supports  the regular expression notation described in regexp(7).  Regular expressions
       are used in addresses to specify lines and in one command  (see  s  below)  to  specify  a
       portion  of  a  line  which is to be replaced.  If it is desired to use one of the regular
       expression metacharacters as an ordinary character, that character may be preceded by `\'.
       This also applies to the character bounding the regular expression (often and to itself.

       To understand addressing in ed it is necessary to know that at any time there is a current
       line.  Generally, the current line is the last line affected by a  command;  however,  the
       exact  effect  on  the  current  line  is discussed under the description of each command.
       Addresses are constructed as follows.

       1.     The character customarily called `dot', addresses the current line.

       2.     The character addresses the last line of the buffer.

       3.     A decimal number n addresses the n-th line of the buffer.

       4.     ´x addresses the line marked with the name x, which must be  a  lower-case  letter.
              Lines are marked with the command.

       5.     A  regular  expression  enclosed in slashes ( addresses the line found by searching
              forward from the current line and stopping at the first line  containing  a  string
              that  matches  the regular expression.  If necessary the search wraps around to the
              beginning of the buffer.

       6.     A regular expression enclosed in queries addresses  the  line  found  by  searching
              backward  from  the current line and stopping at the first line containing a string
              that matches the regular expression.  If necessary the search wraps around  to  the
              end of the buffer.

       7.     An  address  followed  by  a plus sign or a minus sign followed by a decimal number
              specifies that address plus (resp. minus) the indicated number of lines.  The  plus
              sign may be omitted.

       8.     An  address  followed  by  (or followed by a regular expression enclosed in slashes
              specifies the first matching line  following  (or  preceding)  that  address.   The
              search  wraps around if necessary.  The may be omitted, so addresses the first line
              in the buffer with an Enclosing the  regular  expression  in  reverses  the  search
              direction.

       9.     If  an  address begins with or the addition or subtraction is taken with respect to
              the current line; e.g. is understood to mean

       10.    If an address ends with or then 1 is added (resp. subtracted).  As a consequence of
              this  rule  and  rule  9,  the  address refers to the line before the current line.
              Moreover, trailing and characters have cumulative effect, so refers to the  current
              line less 2.

       11.    To  maintain  compatibility  with  earlier versions of the editor, the character in
              addresses is equivalent to

       Commands may require zero, one, or two addresses.  Commands  which  require  no  addresses
       regard the presence of an address as an error.  Commands which accept one or two addresses
       assume default addresses when insufficient are given.  If more addresses are given than  a
       command requires, the last one or two (depending on what is accepted) are used.

       Addresses are separated from each other typically by a comma They may also be separated by
       a semicolon In this case the current line is set to the previous address before  the  next
       address  is  interpreted.  If no address precedes a comma or semicolon, line 1 is assumed;
       if no address follows, the last line of the buffer is assumed.  The second address of  any
       two-address  sequence  must  correspond  to a line following the line corresponding to the
       first address.

       In the following list of ed commands, the default addresses are shown in parentheses.  The
       parentheses are not part of the address, but are used to show that the given addresses are
       the default.  `Dot' means the current line.

       (.)a
       <text>
       .      Read the given text and append it after the addressed line.  Dot  is  left  on  the
              last  line  input,  if there were any, otherwise at the addressed line.  Address is
              legal for this command; text is placed at the beginning of the buffer.

       (.,.)b[+-][pagesize][pln]
              Browse.  Print a `page', normally 20 lines.  The optional  (default)  or  specifies
              whether  the  next or previous page is to be printed.  The optional pagesize is the
              number of lines in a page.  The  optional  or  causes  printing  in  the  specified
              format, initially Pagesize and format are remembered between commands.  Dot is left
              at the last line displayed.

       (.,.)c
       <text>
       .      Change.  Delete the addressed lines, then accept input text to replace these lines.
              Dot  is  left  at  the  last line input; if there were none, it is left at the line
              preceding the deleted lines.

       (.,.)d Delete the addressed lines from the buffer.  Dot is set to the line  following  the
              last  line  deleted,  or to the last line of the buffer if the deleted lines had no
              successor.

       e filename
              Edit.  Delete the entire contents of the buffer; then read the named file into  the
              buffer.   Dot is set to the last line of the buffer.  The number of characters read
              is typed.  The file name is remembered for possible use in later or  commands.   If
              filename is missing, the remembered name is used.

       E filename
              Unconditional see below.

       f filename
              Print  the  currently  remembered  file  name.  If filename is given, the currently
              remembered file name is first changed to filename.

       (1,$)g/regular expression/command list
       (1,$)g/regular expression/
       (1,$)g/regular expression
              Global.  First mark every line which matches the given regularexpression.  Then for
              every  such  line, execute the command list with dot initially set to that line.  A
              single command or the first of multiple commands appears on the same line with  the
              global  command.  All lines of a multi-line list except the last line must end with
              The `.' terminating input mode for an command may be omitted if it would be on  the
              last  line  of the command list.  The commands and are not permitted in the command
              list.  Any character other than space or newline may be used instead of to  delimit
              the regular expression.  The second and third forms mean g/regular expression/p.

       (.)i
       <text>
       .      Insert  the  given  text  before  the addressed line.  Dot is left at the last line
              input, or, if there were none, at the line before the addressed line.  This command
              differs from the a command only in the placement of the text.

       (.,.+1)j
              Join  the  addressed  lines  into a single line; intermediate newlines are deleted.
              Dot is left at the resulting line.

       (.)kx  Mark the addressed line with name x,  which  must  be  a  lower-case  letter.   The
              address form ´x then addresses this line.

       (.,.)l List.   Print  the  addressed  lines  in  an unambiguous way: a tab is printed as a
              backspace as backslashes as and non-printing characters as a backslash, an and four
              hexadecimal  digits.   Long  lines  are folded, with the second and subsequent sub-
              lines indented one tab stop.  If the last character in the line is a blank,  it  is
              followed by An may be appended, like to any non-I/O command.

       (.,.)ma
              Move.   Reposition  the addressed lines after the line addressed by a.  Dot is left
              at the last moved line.

       (.,.)n Number.  Perform prefixing each line with its line number and a  tab.   An  may  be
              appended, like to any non-I/O command.

       (.,.)p Print  the  addressed  lines.  Dot is left at the last line printed.  A appended to
              any non-I/O command causes the then current line to be printed after the command is
              executed.

       (.,.)P This command is a synonym for

       q      Quit the editor.  No automatic write of a file is done.  A or command is considered
              to be in error if the buffer has been modified since the last or command.

       Q      Quit unconditionally.

       ($)r filename
              Read in the given file after the addressed line.  If  no  filename  is  given,  the
              remembered  file  name  is  used.   The  file  name  is remembered if there were no
              remembered file name already.  If the read is successful, the number of  characters
              read is printed.  Dot is left at the last line read from the file.

       (.,.)sn/regular expression/replacement/
       (.,.)sn/regular expression/replacement/g
       (.,.)sn/regular expression/replacement
              Substitute.   Search each addressed line for an occurrence of the specified regular
              expression.  On each line in which  n  matches  are  found  (n  defaults  to  1  if
              missing),  the nth matched string is replaced by the replacement specified.  If the
              global replacement indicator appears after the command, all subsequent  matches  on
              the  line  are  also  replaced.  It is an error for the substitution to fail on all
              addressed lines.  Any character other than space or newline may be used instead  of
              to  delimit  the  regular  expression and the replacement.  Dot is left at the last
              line substituted.  The third form means  sn/regular expression/replacement/p.   The
              second may be omitted if the replacement is empty.

              An  ampersand  appearing  in the replacement is replaced by the string matching the
              regular expression.  The characters \n, where n is a digit,  are  replaced  by  the
              text  matched  by  the  n-th regular subexpression enclosed between and When nested
              parenthesized subexpressions are present, n is determined by  counting  occurrences
              of starting from the left.

              A literal or newline may be included in a replacement by prefixing it with

       (.,.)ta
              Transfer.   Copy the addressed lines after the line addressed by a.  Dot is left at
              the last line of the copy.

       (.,.)u Undo.  Restore the preceding contents of the first addressed line (sic), which must
              be the last line in which a substitution was made (double sic).

       (1,$)v/regular expression/command list
              This  command  is  the  same  as the global command except that the command list is
              executed with dot initially set to every line except  those  matching  the  regular
              expression.

       (1,$)w filename
              Write  the  addressed  lines  to the given file.  If the file does not exist, it is
              created with mode 666 (readable and writable  by  everyone).   If  no  filename  is
              given,  the  remembered file name, if any, is used.  The file name is remembered if
              there were no remembered file name already.  Dot is unchanged.   If  the  write  is
              successful, the number of characters written is printed.

       (1,$)W filename
              Perform but append to, instead of overwriting, any existing file contents.

       ($)=   Print the line number of the addressed line.  Dot is unchanged.

       !shell command
              Send  the  remainder of the line after the to rc(1) to be interpreted as a command.
              Dot is unchanged.

       (.+1)<newline>
              An address without a command is taken as a command.  A terminal may be omitted from
              the address.  A blank line alone is equivalent to it is useful for stepping through
              text.

       If an interrupt signal (DEL) is sent, ed prints a and returns to its command level.

       When reading a file, ed discards NUL characters and all characters after the last newline.

FILES

       /tmp/e*
       ed.hup   work is saved here if terminal hangs up

SOURCE

       /src/cmd/ed.c

SEE ALSO

       sam(1), sed(1), regexp(7)

DIAGNOSTICS

       ?name for inaccessible file; for temporary file overflow; for errors in commands or  other
       overflows.

                                                                                       ED(1plan9)