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31 .\" @(#)sed.1 8.2 (Berkeley) 12/30/93
48 .Op Fl f Ar command_file
54 utility reads the specified files, or the standard input if no files
55 are specified, modifying the input as specified by a list of commands.
56 The input is then written to the standard output.
58 A single command may be specified as the first argument to
60 Multiple commands may be specified by using the
65 All commands are applied to the input in the order they are specified
66 regardless of their origin.
68 The following options are available:
69 .Bl -tag -width indent
71 Interpret regular expressions as extended (modern) regular expressions
72 rather than basic regular expressions (BRE's).
75 manual page fully describes both formats.
77 The files listed as parameters for the
79 functions are created (or truncated) before any processing begins,
85 to delay opening each file until a command containing the related
87 function is applied to a line of input.
89 Append the editing commands specified by the
92 to the list of commands.
93 .It Fl f Ar command_file
94 Append the editing commands found in the file
96 to the list of commands.
97 The editing commands should each be listed on a separate line.
99 Edit files in-place, saving backups with the specified
103 is given, no backup will be saved.
104 It is not recommended to give a zero-length
106 when in-place editing files, as you risk corruption or partial content
107 in situations where disk space is exhausted, etc.
109 Make output line buffered.
111 By default, each line of input is echoed to the standard output after
112 all of the commands have been applied to it.
115 option suppresses this behavior.
120 command is as follows:
122 .Dl [address[,address]]function[arguments]
124 Whitespace may be inserted before the first address and the function
125 portions of the command.
129 cyclically copies a line of input, not including its terminating newline
131 .Em "pattern space" ,
132 (unless there is something left after a
135 applies all of the commands with addresses that select that pattern space,
136 copies the pattern space to the standard output, appending a newline, and
137 deletes the pattern space.
139 Some of the functions use a
141 to save all or part of the pattern space for subsequent retrieval.
143 An address is not required, but if specified must be a number (that counts
145 cumulatively across input files), a dollar
147 character that addresses the last line of input, or a context address
148 (which consists of a regular expression preceded and followed by a
151 A command line with no addresses selects every pattern space.
153 A command line with one address selects all of the pattern spaces
154 that match the address.
156 A command line with two addresses selects an inclusive range.
158 range starts with the first pattern space that matches the first
160 The end of the range is the next following pattern space
161 that matches the second address.
162 If the second address is a number
163 less than or equal to the line number first selected, only that
165 In the case when the second address is a context
168 does not re-match the second address against the
169 pattern space that matched the first address.
171 first line following the selected range,
173 starts looking again for the first address.
175 Editing commands can be applied to non-selected pattern spaces by use
176 of the exclamation character
179 .Sh "Sed Regular Expressions"
180 The regular expressions used in
182 by default, are basic regular expressions (BREs, see
184 for more information), but extended (modern) regular expressions can be used
190 has the following two additions to regular expressions:
194 In a context address, any character other than a backslash
196 or newline character may be used to delimit the regular expression.
197 Also, putting a backslash character before the delimiting character
198 causes the character to be treated literally.
199 For example, in the context address \exabc\exdefx, the RE delimiter
204 stands for itself, so that the regular expression is
208 The escape sequence \en matches a newline character embedded in the
210 You cannot, however, use a literal newline character in an address or
211 in the substitute command.
214 One special feature of
216 regular expressions is that they can default to the last regular
218 If a regular expression is empty, i.e., just the delimiter characters
219 are specified, the last regular expression encountered is used instead.
220 The last regular expression is defined as the last regular expression
221 used as part of an address or substitute command, and at run-time, not
223 For example, the command
230 In the following list of commands, the maximum number of permissible
231 addresses for each command is indicated by [0addr], [1addr], or [2addr],
232 representing zero, one, or two addresses.
236 consists of one or more lines.
237 To embed a newline in the text, precede it with a backslash.
238 Other backslashes in text are deleted and the following character
245 functions take an optional file parameter, which should be separated
246 from the function letter by white space.
247 Each file given as an argument to
249 is created (or its contents truncated) before any input processing begins.
261 functions all accept additional arguments.
262 The following synopses indicate which arguments have to be separated from
263 the function letters by white space characters.
265 Two of the functions take a function-list.
268 functions separated by newlines, as follows:
269 .Bd -literal -offset indent
279 can be preceded by white space and can be followed by white space.
280 The function can be preceded by white space.
283 must be preceded by a newline or optional white space.
285 .Bl -tag -width "XXXXXX" -compact
286 .It [2addr] function-list
287 Execute function-list only when the pattern space is selected.
293 to standard output immediately before each attempt to read a line of input,
294 whether by executing the
296 function or by beginning a new cycle.
301 function with the specified label.
302 If the label is not specified, branch to the end of the script.
306 Delete the pattern space.
307 With 0 or 1 address or at the end of a 2-address range,
309 is written to the standard output.
312 Delete the pattern space and start the next cycle.
315 Delete the initial segment of the pattern space through the first
316 newline character and start the next cycle.
319 Replace the contents of the pattern space with the contents of the
323 Append a newline character followed by the contents of the hold space
324 to the pattern space.
327 Replace the contents of the hold space with the contents of the
331 Append a newline character followed by the contents of the pattern space
338 to the standard output.
342 Write the pattern space to the standard output in a visually unambiguous
344 This form is as follows:
346 .Bl -tag -width "carriage-returnXX" -offset indent -compact
361 Nonprintable characters are written as three-digit octal numbers (with a
362 preceding backslash) for each byte in the character (most significant byte
364 Long lines are folded, with the point of folding indicated by displaying
365 a backslash followed by a newline.
366 The end of each line is marked with a
370 Write the pattern space to the standard output if the default output has
371 not been suppressed, and replace the pattern space with the next line of
375 Append the next line of input to the pattern space, using an embedded
376 newline character to separate the appended material from the original
378 Note that the current line number changes.
381 Write the pattern space to standard output.
384 Write the pattern space, up to the first newline character to the
388 Branch to the end of the script and quit without starting a new cycle.
393 to the standard output immediately before the next attempt to read a
397 cannot be read for any reason, it is silently ignored and no error
400 .It [2addr]s/regular expression/replacement/flags
401 Substitute the replacement string for the first instance of the regular
402 expression in the pattern space.
403 Any character other than backslash or newline can be used instead of
404 a slash to delimit the RE and the replacement.
405 Within the RE and the replacement, the RE delimiter itself can be used as
406 a literal character if it is preceded by a backslash.
410 appearing in the replacement is replaced by the string matching the RE.
411 The special meaning of
413 in this context can be suppressed by preceding it by a backslash.
418 is a digit, is replaced by the text matched
419 by the corresponding backreference expression (see
422 A line can be split by substituting a newline character into it.
423 To specify a newline character in the replacement string, precede it with
428 in the substitute function is zero or more of the following:
429 .Bl -tag -width "XXXXXX" -offset indent
431 Make the substitution only for the
433 occurrence of the regular expression in the pattern space.
435 Make the substitution for all non-overlapping matches of the
436 regular expression, not just the first one.
438 Write the pattern space to standard output if a replacement was made.
439 If the replacement string is identical to that which it replaces, it
440 is still considered to have been a replacement.
442 Append the pattern space to
444 if a replacement was made.
445 If the replacement string is identical to that which it replaces, it
446 is still considered to have been a replacement.
452 function bearing the label if any substitutions have been made since the
453 most recent reading of an input line or execution of a
456 If no label is specified, branch to the end of the script.
459 Append the pattern space to the
463 Swap the contents of the pattern and hold spaces.
465 .It [2addr]y/string1/string2/
466 Replace all occurrences of characters in
468 in the pattern space with the corresponding characters from
470 Any character other than a backslash or newline can be used instead of
471 a slash to delimit the strings.
476 a backslash followed by any character other than a newline is that literal
477 character, and a backslash followed by an ``n'' is replaced by a newline
481 .It [2addr]!function-list
482 Apply the function or function-list only to the lines that are
484 selected by the address(es).
487 This function does nothing; it bears a label to which the
494 Write the line number to the standard output followed by a newline
498 Empty lines are ignored.
503 and the remainder of the line are ignored (treated as a comment), with
504 the single exception that if the first two characters in the file are
506 the default output is suppressed.
507 This is the same as specifying the
509 option on the command line.
513 .Ev COLUMNS , LANG , LC_ALL , LC_CTYPE
516 environment variables affect the execution of
531 utility is expected to be a superset of the
539 options are non-standard
541 extensions and may not be available on other operating systems.
550 .An "Diomidis D. Spinellis" Aq dds@FreeBSD.org
552 Multibyte characters containing a byte with value 0x5C
555 may be incorrectly treated as line continuation characters in arguments to the
561 Multibyte characters cannot be used as delimiters with the