NAME
sed - stream editor
SYNOPSIS
sed [ -n ] [ -e script ] [ -f sfilename ] [ filename ]...
SYSTEM V SYNOPSIS
/usr/5bin/sed [ -n ] [ -e script ] [ -f sfilename ] [
filename ]...
AVAILABILITY
The System V version of this command is available with the
System V software installation option. Refer to Installing
SunOS 4.1 for information on how to install optional
software.
DESCRIPTION
sed copies the filenames (standard input default) to the
standard output, edited according to a script of commands.
OPTIONS
-n Suppress the default output.
-e script script is an edit command for sed. If there
is just one -e option and no -f options, the
-e flag may be omitted.
-f sfilename Take the script from sfilename.
USAGE
sed Scripts
sed scripts consist 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 pattern space (unless there is something left after a
D command), sequentially applies all commands with addresses
matching that pattern space until reaching the end of the
script, copies the pattern space to the standard output
(except under -n), and finally, deletes the pattern space.
Some commands use a hold space to save all or part of the
pattern space for subsequent retrieval.
An address is either:
a decimal number linecount, which is cumulative across
input files;
a $, which addresses the last input line;
or a context address, which is a /regular expression/
in the style of ed(1);
with the following exceptions:
\?RE?
In a context address, the construction \ ?regular
expression?, where ? is any character, is identi-
cal to /regular expression/. Note: in the context
address \xabc\xdefx, the second x stands for
itself, so that the regular expression is abcxdef.
\n Matches a NEWLINE embedded in the pattern space.
. Matches any character except the NEWLINE ending
the pattern space.
null A command line with no address selects every pat-
tern space.
address
Selects each pattern space that matches.
address1 ,address2
Selects the inclusive range from the first pattern
space matching addrress1 to the first pattern
space matching address2. Selects only one line if
address1 is greater than or equal to address2.
Comments
If the first nonwhite character in a line is a `#' (pound
sign), sed treats that line as a comment, and ignores it.
If, however, the first such line is of the form:
#n
sed runs as if the -n flag were specified.
Functions
The maximum number of permissible addresses for each func-
tion is indicated in parentheses in the list below.
An argument denoted text consists of one or more lines, all
but the last of which end with \ to hide the NEWLINE.
Backslashes in text are treated like backslashes in the
replacement string of an s command, and may be used to pro-
tect initial SPACE and TAB characters against the stripping
that is done on every script line.
An argument denoted rfilename or wfilename must terminate
the command line and must be preceded by exactly one SPACE.
Each wfilename is created before processing begins. There
can be at most 10 distinct wfilename arguments.
(1)a\
text Append: place text on the output before reading
the next input line.
(2)b label Branch to the `:' command bearing the label.
Branch to the end of the script if label is
empty.
(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 unambiguous form. Non-printing characters
are spelled in two 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 out-
put.
(1)q Quit: branch to the end of the script. Do not
start a new cycle.
(2)r rfilename
Read the contents of rfilename. 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 regular 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:
n n= 1 - 512. Substitute for just the
nth occurrence of the
regularexpression.
g Global: substitute for all nonover-
lapping instances of the regular
expression rather than just the
first one.
p Print the pattern space if a
replacement was made.
w wfilename Write: append the pattern space to
wfilename if a replacement was made.
(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 exe-
cution of a t. If label is empty, branch to the
end of the script.
(2)w wfilename
Write: append the pattern space to wfilename.
(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
Do not: 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. Note: the max-
imum length of label is seven characters.
(1)= Place the current line number on the standard
output as a line.
(2){ Execute the following commands through a match-
ing `}' only when the pattern space is selected.
Commands are separated by `;'.
(0) An empty command is ignored.
System V sed Scripts
Initial SPACE and TAB characters are not stripped from text
lines.
DIAGNOSTICS
Too many commands
The command list contained more than 200 commands.
Too much command text
The command list was too big for sed to handle. Text
in the a, c, and i commands, text read in by r com-
mands, addresses, regular expressions and replacement
strings in s commands, and translation tables in y com-
mands all require sed to store data internally.
Command line too long
A command line was longer than 4000 characters.
Too many line numbers
More than 256 decimal number linecounts were specified
as addresses in the command list.
Too many files in w commands
More than 10 different files were specified in w com-
mands or w options for s commands in the command list.
Too many labels
More than 50 labels were specified in the command list.
Unrecognized command
A command was not one of the ones recognized by sed.
Extra text at end of command
A command had extra text after the end.
Illegal line number
An address was neither a decimal number linecount, a $,
nor a context address.
Space missing before filename
There was no space between a r or w command, or the w
option for a s command, and the filename specified for
that command.
Too many {'s
There were more { than } in the list of commands to be
executed.
Too many }'s
There were more } than { in the list of commands to be
executed.
No addresses allowed
A command that takes no addresses had an address speci-
fied.
Only one address allowed
A command that takes one address had two addresses
specified.
"\digit" out of range
The number in a \n item in a regular expression or a
replacement string in a s command was greater than 9.
Bad number
One of the endpoints in a range item in a regular
expression (that is, an item of the form {n} or {n,m})
was not a number.
Range endpoint too large
One of the endpoints in a range item in a regular
expression was greater than 255.
More than 2 numbers given in \{ \}
More than two endpoints were given in a range expres-
sion.
} expected after \
A \ appeared in a range expression and was not followed
by a }.
First number exceeds second in \{ \}
The first endpoint in a range expression was greater
than the second.
Illegal or missing delimiter
The delimiter at the end of a regular expression was
absent.
\( \) imbalance
There were more \( than \), or more \) than \(, in a
regular expression.
[ ] imbalance
There were more [ than ], or more ] than [, in a regu-
lar expression.
First RE may not be null
The first regular expression in an address or in a s
command was null (empty).
Ending delimiter missing on substitution
The ending delimiter in a s command was absent.
Ending delimiter missing on string
The ending delimiter in a y command was absent.
Transform strings not the same size
The two strings in a y command were not the same size.
Suffix too large - 512 max
The suffix in a s command, specifying which occurrence
of the regular expression should be replaced, was
greater than 512.
Label too long
A label in a command was longer than 8 characters.
Duplicate labels
The same label was specified by more than one : com-
mand.
File name too long
The filename specified in a r or w command, or in the w
option for a s command, was longer than 1024 charac-
ters.
Output line too long.
An output line was longer than 4000 characters long.
Too many appends or reads after line n
More than 20 a or r commands were to be executed for
line n.
Hold space overflowed.
More than 4000 characters were to be stored in the hold
space.
SEE ALSO
awk(1), ed(1), grep(1V), lex(1)
Editing Text Files
BUGS
There is a combined limit of 200 -e and -f arguments. In
addition, there are various internal size limits which, in
rare cases, may overflow. To overcome these limitations,
either combine or break out scripts, or use a pipeline of
sed commands.