xenial (1) sed.1.gz

Provided by: sed_4.2.2-7_amd64 bug

NAME

       sed - stream editor for filtering and transforming text

SYNOPSIS

       sed [OPTION]... {script-only-if-no-other-script} [input-file]...

DESCRIPTION

       Sed is a stream editor.  A stream editor is used to perform basic text transformations on an input stream
       (a file or input from a pipeline).  While in some ways similar to an editor which permits scripted  edits
       (such  as  ed),  sed works by making only one pass over the input(s), and is consequently more efficient.
       But it is sed's ability to filter text in a pipeline which particularly distinguishes it from other types
       of editors.

       -n, --quiet, --silent

              suppress automatic printing of pattern space

       -e script, --expression=script

              add the script to the commands to be executed

       -f script-file, --file=script-file

              add the contents of script-file to the commands to be executed

       --follow-symlinks

              follow symlinks when processing in place

       -i[SUFFIX], --in-place[=SUFFIX]

              edit files in place (makes backup if SUFFIX supplied)

       -l N, --line-length=N

              specify the desired line-wrap length for the `l' command

       --posix

              disable all GNU extensions.

       -r, --regexp-extended

              use extended regular expressions in the script.

       -s, --separate

              consider files as separate rather than as a single continuous long stream.

       -u, --unbuffered

              load minimal amounts of data from the input files and flush the output buffers more often

       -z, --null-data

              separate lines by NUL characters

       --help
              display this help and exit

       --version
              output version information and exit

       If no -e, --expression, -f, or --file option is given, then the first non-option argument is taken as the
       sed script to interpret.  All remaining arguments are names  of  input  files;  if  no  input  files  are
       specified, then the standard input is read.

       GNU   sed   home   page:   <http://www.gnu.org/software/sed/>.    General   help   using   GNU  software:
       <http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.  E-mail bug reports to: <bug-sed@gnu.org>.  Be sure to  include  the  word
       ``sed'' somewhere in the ``Subject:'' field.

COMMAND SYNOPSIS

       This is just a brief synopsis of sed commands to serve as a reminder to those who already know sed; other
       documentation (such as the texinfo document) must be consulted for fuller descriptions.

   Zero-address ``commands''
       : label
              Label for b and t commands.

       #comment
              The comment extends until the next newline (or the end of a -e script fragment).

       }      The closing bracket of a { } block.

   Zero- or One- address commands
       =      Print the current line number.

       a \

       text   Append text, which has each embedded newline preceded by a backslash.

       i \

       text   Insert text, which has each embedded newline preceded by a backslash.

       q [exit-code]
              Immediately quit the sed script without processing any more input, except that  if  auto-print  is
              not  disabled  the  current  pattern  space  will  be  printed.   The  exit code argument is a GNU
              extension.

       Q [exit-code]
              Immediately quit the sed script without processing any more input.  This is a GNU extension.

       r filename
              Append text read from filename.

       R filename
              Append a line read from filename.  Each invocation of the command reads  a  line  from  the  file.
              This is a GNU extension.

   Commands which accept address ranges
       {      Begin a block of commands (end with a }).

       b label
              Branch to label; if label is omitted, branch to end of script.

       c \

       text   Replace the selected lines with text, which has each embedded newline preceded by a backslash.

       d      Delete pattern space.  Start next cycle.

       D      If  pattern  space  contains  no newline, start a normal new cycle as if the d command was issued.
              Otherwise, delete text in the pattern space up to the first newline, and restart  cycle  with  the
              resultant pattern space, without reading a new line of input.

       h H    Copy/append pattern space to hold space.

       g G    Copy/append hold space to pattern space.

       l      List out the current line in a ``visually unambiguous'' form.

       l width
              List  out  the  current  line in a ``visually unambiguous'' form, breaking it at width characters.
              This is a GNU extension.

       n N    Read/append the next line of input into the pattern space.

       p      Print the current pattern space.

       P      Print up to the first embedded newline of the current pattern space.

       s/regexp/replacement/
              Attempt to match regexp against the pattern space.  If successful, replace  that  portion  matched
              with replacement.  The replacement may contain the special character & to refer to that portion of
              the pattern space which  matched,  and  the  special  escapes  \1  through  \9  to  refer  to  the
              corresponding matching sub-expressions in the regexp.

       t label
              If a s/// has done a successful substitution since the last input line was read and since the last
              t or T command, then branch to label; if label is omitted, branch to end of script.

       T label
              If no s/// has done a successful substitution since the last input line was  read  and  since  the
              last  t or T command, then branch to label; if label is omitted, branch to end of script.  This is
              a GNU extension.

       w filename
              Write the current pattern space to filename.

       W filename
              Write the first line of the current pattern space to filename.  This is a GNU extension.

       x      Exchange the contents of the hold and pattern spaces.

       y/source/dest/
              Transliterate the characters in the pattern space which appear  in  source  to  the  corresponding
              character in dest.

Addresses

       Sed  commands  can  be  given with no addresses, in which case the command will be executed for all input
       lines; with one address, in which case the command will only be executed for input lines which match that
       address;  or  with  two  addresses,  in which case the command will be executed for all input lines which
       match the inclusive range of lines starting from the first address and continuing to the second  address.
       Three  things  to note about address ranges: the syntax is addr1,addr2 (i.e., the addresses are separated
       by a comma); the line which addr1 matched will always be accepted, even if addr2 selects an earlier line;
       and if addr2 is a regexp, it will not be tested against the line that addr1 matched.

       After  the address (or address-range), and before the command, a !  may be inserted, which specifies that
       the command shall only be executed if the address (or address-range) does not match.

       The following address types are supported:

       number Match only the specified line number (which increments cumulatively across files,  unless  the  -s
              option is specified on the command line).

       first~step
              Match  every  step'th  line starting with line first.  For example, ``sed -n 1~2p'' will print all
              the odd-numbered lines in the input stream, and the address  2~5  will  match  every  fifth  line,
              starting  with  the  second.  first can be zero; in this case, sed operates as if it were equal to
              step.  (This is an extension.)

       $      Match the last line.

       /regexp/
              Match lines matching the regular expression regexp.

       \cregexpc
              Match lines matching the regular expression regexp.  The c may be any character.

       GNU sed also supports some special 2-address forms:

       0,addr2
              Start out in "matched first address" state, until addr2 is found.  This  is  similar  to  1,addr2,
              except  that  if addr2 matches the very first line of input the 0,addr2 form will be at the end of
              its range, whereas the 1,addr2 form will still be at the beginning of its range.  This works  only
              when addr2 is a regular expression.

       addr1,+N
              Will match addr1 and the N lines following addr1.

       addr1,~N
              Will  match  addr1  and the lines following addr1 until the next line whose input line number is a
              multiple of N.

REGULAR EXPRESSIONS

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

BUGS

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

AUTHOR

       Written   by   Jay   Fenlason,   Tom   Lord,  Ken  Pizzini,  and  Paolo  Bonzini.   GNU  sed  home  page:
       <http://www.gnu.org/software/sed/>.  General help using GNU software: <http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.   E-
       mail  bug  reports  to:  <bug-sed@gnu.org>.   Be  sure  to  include  the  word  ``sed''  somewhere in the
       ``Subject:'' field.

       Copyright  ©  2012  Free  Software  Foundation,  Inc.   License  GPLv3+:  GNU  GPL  version  3  or  later
       <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
       This  is  free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.  There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent
       permitted by law.

SEE ALSO

       awk(1), ed(1), grep(1), tr(1), perlre(1), sed.info, any of various books on sed, the sed FAQ
       (http://sed.sf.net/grabbag/tutorials/sedfaq.txt), http://sed.sf.net/grabbag/.

       The full documentation for sed is maintained as a Texinfo manual.  If the info and sed programs are
       properly installed at your site, the command

              info sed

       should give you access to the complete manual.