xref: /netbsd-src/usr.bin/cut/cut.1 (revision 8b0f9554ff8762542c4defc4f70e1eb76fb508fa)
1.\"	$NetBSD: cut.1,v 1.14 2006/07/31 09:39:59 jnemeth Exp $
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33.\"     @(#)cut.1	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/6/93
34.\"
35.Dd July 31, 2006
36.Dt CUT 1
37.Os
38.Sh NAME
39.Nm cut
40.Nd select portions of each line of a file
41.Sh SYNOPSIS
42.Nm
43.Fl b Ar list
44.Op Fl n
45.Op Ar
46.Nm
47.Fl c Ar list
48.Op Ar
49.Nm
50.Fl f Ar list
51.Op Fl d Ar delim
52.Op Fl s
53.Op Ar
54.Sh DESCRIPTION
55The
56.Nm
57utility selects portions of each line (as specified by
58.Ar list  )
59from each
60.Ar file
61and writes them to the
62standard output.
63If the
64.Ar file
65argument is a single dash
66.Pq Sq -
67or no
68.Ar file
69arguments were specified, lines are read from the standard input.
70The items specified by
71.Ar list
72can be in terms of column position or in terms of fields delimited
73by a special character. Column numbering starts from 1.
74.Pp
75.Ar List
76is a comma or whitespace separated set of increasing numbers and/or
77number ranges.
78Number ranges consist of a number, a dash
79.Pq Li \- ,
80and a second number
81and select the fields or columns from the first number to the second,
82inclusive.
83Numbers or number ranges may be preceded by a dash, which selects all
84fields or columns from 1 to the first number.
85Numbers or number ranges may be followed by a dash, which selects all
86fields or columns from the last number to the end of the line.
87Numbers and number ranges may be repeated, overlapping, and in any order.
88It is not an error to select fields or columns not present in the
89input line.
90.Pp
91The options are as follows:
92.Bl -tag -width Fl
93.It Fl b Ar list
94The
95.Ar list
96specifies byte positions.
97.It Fl c Ar list
98The
99.Ar list
100specifies character positions.
101.It Fl d Ar string
102Use the first character of
103.Ar string
104as the field delimiter character instead of the tab character.
105.It Fl f Ar list
106The
107.Ar list
108specifies fields, delimited in the input by a single tab character.
109Output fields are separated by a single tab character.
110.It Fl n
111Do not split multi-byte characters.
112.It Fl s
113Suppresses lines with no field delimiter characters.
114Unless specified, lines with no delimiters are passed through unmodified.
115.El
116.Sh EXIT STATUS
117.Nm
118exits 0 on success, 1 if an error occurred.
119.Sh SEE ALSO
120.Xr paste 1
121.Sh STANDARDS
122The
123.Nm
124utility conforms to
125.St -p1003.2-92 .
126