SED linux command manual

SED(1)                              User Commands                          SED(1)



NAME
       sed - manual page for sed version 4.0.7

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

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

              edit files in place (makes backup if extension supplied)

       -l N, --line-length=N

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

       -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

       --help display this help and exit

       -V, --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.

       E-mail bug reports to: bonzini@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  tex-
       info 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      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.

       Q      Immediately quit the sed script  without  processing  any  more
              input.

       r filename
              Append text read from filename.

       R filename
              Append a line read from filename.

   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.

       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.

       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      Delete  up  to the first embedded newline in the pattern space.
              Start next cycle, but skip reading from the input if  there  is
              still data in the pattern space.

       h H    Copy/append pattern space to hold space.

       g G    Copy/append hold space to pattern space.

       x      Exchange the contents of the hold and pattern spaces.

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

       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 success-
              ful,  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 spe-
              cial escapes \1 through \9 to refer to the corresponding match-
              ing sub-expressions in the regexp.

       w filename
              Write the current pattern space to filename.

       W filename
              Write  the first line of the current pattern space to filename.

       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 exe-
       cuted  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.

       first~step
              Match  every  step'th line starting with line first.  For exam-
              ple, ''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. (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.

       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 bonzini@gnu.org.  Be sure to include the word
       ''sed'' somewhere in the ''Subject:'' field.  Also, please include the
       output  of ''sed --version'' in the body of your report if at all pos-
       sible.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (C) 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
       This is free software; see the source for copying  conditions.   There
       is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICU-
       LAR PURPOSE, 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 (https://sed.sf.net/grabbag/tutorials/sed-
       faq.html), https://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.



sed version 4.0.7               September 2003                         SED(1)