SYNOPSIS
sed [-n] [-e script] [-f sfile] [file . . .]
DESCRIPTION
Sed copies the named files (standard input default) to the standard
output, edited according to a script of commands. The -f option causes
the script to be taken from file sfile; these options accumulate. If
there is just one -e option and no -f's, the flag -e may be omitted.
The -n option suppresses the default output.
A script consists of editing commands, one per line, of the following
form:
[address [, address] ] function [arguments]
In normal operation sed cyclically copies a line of input into a pat-
tern space (unless there is something left after a `D' command),
applies in sequence all commands whose addresses select that pattern
space, and at the end of the script copies the pattern space to the
standard output (except under -n) and deletes the pattern space.
An address is either a decimal number that counts input lines cumula-
tively across files, a `$' that addresses the last line of input, or a
context address, `/regular expression/', in the style of ed(1) modified
thus:
The escape sequence `\n' matches a newline embedded in the pat-
tern space.
A command line with no addresses selects every pattern space.
A command line with one address selects each pattern space that
matches the address.
A command line with two addresses selects the inclusive range
from the first pattern space that matches the first address
through the next pattern space that matches the second. (If the
second address is a number less than or equal to the line number
first selected, only one line is selected.) Thereafter the
process is repeated, looking again for the first address.
Editing commands can be applied only to non-selected pattern spaces by
use of the negation function `!' (below).
Regular expressions are simple regular expressions with /usr/5bin/sed,
and basic regular expressions with /usr/5bin/posix/sed,
/usr/5bin/posix2001/sed, and /usr/5bin/s42/sed.
In the following list of functions the maximum number of permissible
addresses for each function is indicated in parentheses.
An argument denoted text consists of one or more lines, all but the
empty, branch to the end of the script.
(2)c\
text Change. Delete the pattern space. With 0 or 1 address or at
the end of a 2-address range, place text on the output.
Start the next cycle.
(2)d Delete the pattern space. Start the next cycle.
(2)D Delete the initial segment of the pattern space through the
first newline. Start the next cycle.
(2)g Replace the contents of the pattern space by the contents of
the hold space.
(2)G Append the contents of the hold space to the pattern space.
(2)h Replace the contents of the hold space by the contents of the
pattern space.
(2)H Append the contents of the pattern space to the hold space.
(1)i\
text Insert. Place text on the standard output.
(2)l List the pattern space on the standard output in an unambigu-
ous form. Non-printing ASCII characters are spelled in two-
or three-digit ASCII, and long lines are folded.
(2)n Copy the pattern space to the standard output. Replace the
pattern space with the next line of input.
(2)N Append the next line of input to the pattern space with an
embedded newline. (The current line number changes.)
(2)p Print. Copy the pattern space to the standard output.
(2)P Copy the initial segment of the pattern space through the
first newline to the standard output.
(1)q Quit. Branch to the end of the script. Do not start a new
cycle.
(2)r rfile
Read the contents of rfile. Place them on the output before
reading the next input line.
(2)s/regular expression/replacement/flags
Substitute the replacement string for instances of the regu-
lar expression in the pattern space. Any character may be
used instead of `/'. For a fuller description see ed(1).
Flags is zero or more of
(2)t label
Test. Branch to the `:' command bearing the label if any
substitutions have been made since the most recent reading of
an input line or execution of a `t'. If label is empty,
branch to the end of the script.
(2)w wfile
Write. Append the pattern space to wfile.
(2)x Exchange the contents of the pattern and hold spaces.
(2)y/string1/string2/
Transform. Replace all occurrences of characters in string1
with the corresponding character in string2. The lengths of
string1 and string2 must be equal.
(2)! function
Don't. Apply the function (or group, if function is `{')
only to lines not selected by the address(es).
(0): label
This command does nothing; it bears a label for `b' and `t'
commands to branch to.
(1)= Place the current line number on the standard output as a
line.
(2){ Execute the following commands through a matching `}' only
when the pattern space is selected.
(0) An empty command is ignored.
(0)# Ignore the entire line, except when the first two characters
in the script are #n, which has the same effect as the -n
command line option.
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
LANG, LC_ALL
See locale(7).
LC_COLLATE
Affects the collation order for range expressions, equivalence
classes, and collation symbols in basic regular expressions.
LC_CTYPE
Determines the mapping of bytes to characters in both simple and
basic regular expressions, for the l and y commands, and the
availability and composition of character classes in basic regu-
lar expressions.
SEE ALSO
ed(1), grep(1), awk(1), locale(7)
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