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\"      @(#)sed.1       8.2 (Berkeley) 12/30/93
\" $FreeBSD: head/usr.bin/sed/sed.1 259132 2013-12-09 18:57:20Z eadler $
\"
Dd June 19, 2025
Dt SED 1
Os
Sh NAME
Nm sed
Nd stream editor
Sh SYNOPSIS
Nm
Op Fl aEGglnru
Ar command
Op Ar
Nm
Op Fl aEGglnru
Op Fl e Ar command
Op Fl f Ar command_file
Op Fl I Ns Op Ar extension
Op Fl i Ns Op Ar extension
Op Ar
Sh DESCRIPTION
The
Nm
utility reads the specified files, or the standard input if no files
are specified, modifying the input as specified by a list of commands.
The input is then written to the standard output.
Pp
A single command may be specified as the first argument to
Nm .
Multiple commands may be specified by using the
Fl e
or
Fl f
options.
All commands are applied to the input in the order they are specified
regardless of their origin.
Pp
The following options are available:
Bl -tag -width indent
It Fl a
The files listed as parameters for the
Dq w
functions are created (or truncated) before any processing begins,
by default.
The
Fl a
option causes
Nm
to delay opening each file until a command containing the related
Dq w
function is applied to a line of input.
It Fl E
Interpret regular expressions as extended (modern) regular expressions
rather than basic regular expressions (BRE's).
The
Xr re_format 7
manual page fully describes both formats.
It Fl e Ar command
Append the editing commands specified by the
Ar command
argument
to the list of commands.
It Fl f Ar command_file
Append the editing commands found in the file
Ar command_file
to the list of commands.
The editing commands should each be listed on a separate line.
It Fl G
Turn off GNU regex extensions (the default).
It Fl g
Turn on GNU regex extensions.
See
Xr regex 3
for details.
It Fl I Ns Op Ar extension
Edit files in-place, saving backups with the specified
Ar extension .
If no
Ar extension
is given, no backup will be saved.
It is not recommended to give a zero-length
Ar extension
when in-place editing files, as you risk corruption or partial content
in situations where disk space is exhausted, etc.
Pp
Note that in-place editing with
Fl I
still takes place in a single continuous line address space covering
all files, although each file preserves its individuality instead of
forming one output stream.
The line counter is never reset between files, address ranges can span
file boundaries, and the
Dq $
address matches only the last line of the last file.
(See
Sx "Sed Addresses" . )
That can lead to unexpected results in many cases of in-place editing,
where using
Fl i
is desired.
It Fl i Ns Op Ar extension
Edit files in-place similarly to
Fl I ,
but treat each file independently from other files.
In particular, line numbers in each file start at 1,
the
Dq $
address matches the last line of the current file,
and address ranges are limited to the current file.
(See
Sx "Sed Addresses" . )
The net result is as though each file were edited by a separate
Nm
instance.
It Fl l
Make output line buffered.
It Fl n
By default, each line of input is echoed to the standard output after
all of the commands have been applied to it.
The
Fl n
option suppresses this behavior.
It Fl r
Same as
Fl E
for compatibility with GNU sed.
It Fl u
Make output unbuffered.
El
Pp
The form of a
Nm
command is as follows:
Pp
Dl [address[,address]]function[arguments]
Pp
Whitespace may be inserted before the first address and the function
portions of the command.
Pp
Normally,
Nm
cyclically copies a line of input, not including its terminating newline
character, into a
Em "pattern space" ,
(unless there is something left after a
Dq D
function),
applies all of the commands with addresses that select that pattern space,
copies the pattern space to the standard output, appending a newline, and
deletes the pattern space.
Pp
Some of the functions use a
Em "hold space"
to save all or part of the pattern space for subsequent retrieval.
Ss "Sed Addresses"
An address is not required, but if specified must have one of the
following formats:
Bl -bullet -offset indent
It
a number that counts
input lines
cumulatively across input files (or in each file independently
if a
Fl i
option is in effect);
It
a dollar
Pq Dq $
character that addresses the last line of input (or the last line
of the current file if a
Fl i
option was specified);
It
a context address
that consists of a regular expression preceded and followed by a
delimiter.
The closing delimiter can also optionally be followed by the (capital)
Dq I
character, to indicate that the regular expression is to be matched
in a case-insensitive way.
El
Pp
A command line with no addresses selects every pattern space.
Pp
A command line with one address selects all of the pattern spaces
that match the address.
Pp
A command line with two addresses selects an inclusive range.
This
range starts with the first pattern space that matches the first
address.
The end of the range is the next following pattern space
that matches the second address.
If the second address is a number
less than or equal to the line number first selected, only that
line is selected.
The number in the second address may be prefixed with a
Pq Dq \&+
to specify the number of lines to match after the first pattern.
In the case when the second address is a context
address,
Nm
does not re-match the second address against the
pattern space that matched the first address.
Starting at the
first line following the selected range,
Nm
starts looking again for the first address.
Pp
Editing commands can be applied to non-selected pattern spaces by use
of the exclamation character
Pq Dq \&!
function.
Ss "Sed Regular Expressions"
The regular expressions used in
Nm ,
by default, are basic regular expressions (BREs, see
Xr re_format 7
for more information), but extended (modern) regular expressions can be used
instead if the
Fl E
flag is given.
In addition,
Nm
has the following two additions to regular expressions:
Pp
Bl -enum -compact
It
In a context address, any character other than a backslash
Pq Dq \e
or newline character may be used to delimit the regular expression.
The opening delimiter needs to be preceded by a backslash
unless it is a slash.
For example, the context address
Li \exabcx
is equivalent to
Li /abc/ .
Also, putting a backslash character before the delimiting character
within the regular expression causes the character to be treated literally.
For example, in the context address
Li \exabc\exdefx ,
the RE delimiter is an
Dq x
and the second
Dq x
stands for itself, so that the regular expression is
Dq abcxdef .
Pp
Escape sequences for non-printing characters compatible with GNU sed.
These escape sequences are interpreted in regular expressions and in the
replacement part of a substitute command.
Pp
Bl -tag -width \edxxx -compact
It \ea
Translates to a BEL character.
It \ef
Translates to a form feed character.
It \en
Translates to a newline character embedded in the
pattern space.
You cannot, however, use a literal newline character in an address or
in the substitute command.
It \er
Translates to a carriage return character.
It \et
Translates to a horizontal tab character.
It \ev
Translates to a vertical tab character.
Sm off
It Li \ed Ar xxx
Sm
Translates to a character whose decimal value is
Li xxx .
If consuming the third digit would produce a value greater than 255 only the
first two digits are used to calculate the value.
For example,
Li \ed256
will be interpreted as the character with decimal value 25 (ASCII EM) followed by the character
Li 6 .
Sm off
It Li \eo Ar xxx
Sm
Translates to a character whose octal value is
Li xxx .
If consuming the third digit would produce a value greater than 255 only the
first two digits are used to calculate the value.
For example,
Li \eo400
will be interpreted as the space character (ASCII SP) followed by the character
Li 0 .
Sm off
It Li \ex Ar xx
Sm
Translates to a character whose hexadecimal value is
Li xx .
El
El
Pp
One special feature of
Nm
regular expressions is that they can default to the last regular
expression used.
If a regular expression is empty, i.e., just the delimiter characters
are specified, the last regular expression encountered is used instead.
The last regular expression is defined as the last regular expression
used as part of an address or substitute command, and at run-time, not
compile-time.
For example, the command
Dq /abc/s//XXX/
will substitute
Dq XXX
for the pattern
Dq abc .
Ss "Sed Functions"
In the following list of commands, the maximum number of permissible
addresses for each command is indicated by [0addr], [1addr], or [2addr],
representing zero, one, or two addresses.
Pp
The argument
Em text
consists of one or more lines.
To embed a newline in the text, precede it with a backslash.
Other backslashes in text are deleted and the following character
taken literally.
Pp
The
Dq r
and
Dq w
functions take an optional file parameter, which should be separated
from the function letter by white space.
Each file given as an argument to
Nm
is created (or its contents truncated) before any input processing begins.
Pp
The
Dq b ,
Dq r ,
Dq s ,
Dq t ,
Dq w ,
Dq y ,
Dq \&! ,
and
Dq \&:
functions all accept additional arguments.
The following synopses indicate which arguments have to be separated from
the function letters by white space characters.
Pp
Two of the functions take a function-list.
This is a list of
Nm
functions separated by newlines, as follows:
Bd -literal -offset indent
{ function
 function
 ...
 function
}
Ed
Pp
The
Dq {
can be preceded by white space and can be followed by white space.
The function can be preceded by white space.
The terminating
Dq }
must be preceded by a newline, and may also be preceded by white space.
Pp
Bl -tag -width "XXXXXX" -compact
It [2addr] function-list
Execute function-list only when the pattern space is selected.
Pp
It [1addr]a\e
It text
Write
Em text
to standard output immediately before each attempt to read a line of input,
whether by executing the
Dq N
function or by beginning a new cycle.
Pp
It [2addr]b[label]
Branch to the
Dq \&:
function with the specified label.
If the label is not specified, branch to the end of the script.
Pp
It [2addr]c\e
It text
Delete the pattern space.
With 0 or 1 address or at the end of a 2-address range,
Em text
is written to the standard output.
Pp
It [2addr]d
Delete the pattern space and start the next cycle.
Pp
It [2addr]D
Delete the initial segment of the pattern space through the first
newline character and start the next cycle.
Pp
It [2addr]g
Replace the contents of the pattern space with the contents of the
hold space.
Pp
It [2addr]G
Append a newline character followed by the contents of the hold space
to the pattern space.
Pp
It [2addr]h
Replace the contents of the hold space with the contents of the
pattern space.
Pp
It [2addr]H
Append a newline character followed by the contents of the pattern space
to the hold space.
Pp
It [1addr]i\e
It text
Write
Em text
to the standard output.
Pp
It [2addr]l
(The letter ell.)
Write the pattern space to the standard output in a visually unambiguous
form.
This form is as follows:
Pp
Bl -tag -width "carriage-returnXX" -offset indent -compact
It backslash
\e\e
It alert
\ea
It form-feed
\ef
It carriage-return
\er
It tab
\et
It vertical tab
\ev
El
Pp
Nonprintable characters are written as three-digit octal numbers (with a
preceding backslash) for each byte in the character (most significant byte
first).
Long lines are folded, with the point of folding indicated by displaying
a backslash followed by a newline.
The end of each line is marked with a
Dq $ .
Pp
It [2addr]n
Write the pattern space to the standard output if the default output has
not been suppressed, and replace the pattern space with the next line of
input.
Pp
It [2addr]N
Append the next line of input to the pattern space, using an embedded
newline character to separate the appended material from the original
contents.
Note that the current line number changes.
Pp
It [2addr]p
Write the pattern space to standard output.
Pp
It [2addr]P
Write the pattern space, up to the first newline character to the
standard output.
Pp
It [1addr]q
Branch to the end of the script and quit without starting a new cycle.
Pp
It [1addr]r file
Copy the contents of
Em file
to the standard output immediately before the next attempt to read a
line of input.
If
Em file
cannot be read for any reason, it is silently ignored and no error
condition is set.
Pp
It [2addr]s/regular expression/replacement/flags
Substitute the replacement string for the first instance of the regular
expression in the pattern space.
Any character other than backslash or newline can be used instead of
a slash to delimit the RE and the replacement.
Within the RE and the replacement, the RE delimiter itself can be used as
a literal character if it is preceded by a backslash.
Pp
An ampersand
Pq Dq &
appearing in the replacement is replaced by the string matching the RE.
The special meaning of
Dq &
in this context can be suppressed by preceding it by a backslash.
The string
Dq \e# ,
where
Dq #
is a digit, is replaced by the text matched
by the corresponding backreference expression (see
Xr re_format 7 ) .
Pp
A line can be split by substituting a newline character into it.
To specify a newline character in the replacement string, precede it with
a backslash.
Pp
The value of
Em flags
in the substitute function is zero or more of the following:
Bl -tag -width "XXXXXX" -offset indent
It Ar N
Make the substitution only for the
Ar N Ns 'th
occurrence of the regular expression in the pattern space.
It g
Make the substitution for all non-overlapping matches of the
regular expression, not just the first one.
It p
Write the pattern space to standard output if a replacement was made.
If the replacement string is identical to that which it replaces, it
is still considered to have been a replacement.
It w Em file
Append the pattern space to
Em file
if a replacement was made.
If the replacement string is identical to that which it replaces, it
is still considered to have been a replacement.
It i or I
Match the regular expression in a case-insensitive way.
El
Pp
It [2addr]t [label]
Branch to the
Dq \&:
function bearing the label if any substitutions have been made since the
most recent reading of an input line or execution of a
Dq t
function.
If no label is specified, branch to the end of the script.
Pp
It [2addr]w Em file
Append the pattern space to the
Em file .
Pp
It [2addr]x
Swap the contents of the pattern and hold spaces.
Pp
It [2addr]y/string1/string2/
Replace all occurrences of characters in
Em string1
in the pattern space with the corresponding characters from
Em string2 .
Any character other than a backslash or newline can be used instead of
a slash to delimit the strings.
Within
Em string1
and
Em string2 ,
a backslash followed by any character other than a newline is that literal
character, and a backslash followed by an ``n'' is replaced by a newline
character.
Pp
It [2addr]!function
It [2addr]!function-list
Apply the function or function-list only to the lines that are
Em not
selected by the address(es).
Pp
It [0addr]:label
This function does nothing; it bears a label to which the
Dq b
and
Dq t
commands may branch.
Pp
It [1addr]=
Write the line number to the standard output followed by a newline
character.
Pp
It [0addr]
Empty lines are ignored.
Pp
It [0addr]#
The
Dq #
and the remainder of the line are ignored (treated as a comment), with
the single exception that if the first two characters in the file are
Dq #n ,
the default output is suppressed.
This is the same as specifying the
Fl n
option on the command line.
El
Sh ENVIRONMENT
The
Ev COLUMNS , LANG , LC_ALL , LC_CTYPE
and
Ev LC_COLLATE
environment variables affect the execution of
Nm
as described in
Xr environ 7 .
Sh EXIT STATUS
Ex -std
Sh SEE ALSO
Xr awk 1 ,
Xr ed 1 ,
Xr grep 1 ,
Xr regex 3 ,
Xr re_format 7
Sh STANDARDS
The
Nm
utility is expected to be a superset of the
St -p1003.2
specification.
Pp
The
Fl a , E , I ,
and
Fl i
options, the prefixing
Dq \&+
in the second member of an address range,
as well as the
Dq I
flag to the address regular expression and substitution command are
non-standard
Fx
extensions and may not be available on other operating systems.
Sh HISTORY
A
Nm
command, written by
An L. E. McMahon ,
appeared in
At v7 .
Sh AUTHORS
An "Diomidis D. Spinellis" Aq [email protected]
Sh BUGS
Multibyte characters containing a byte with value 0x5C
Tn ( ASCII
Ql \e )
may be incorrectly treated as line continuation characters in arguments to the
Dq a ,
Dq c
and
Dq i
commands.
Multibyte characters cannot be used as delimiters with the
Dq s
and
Dq y
commands.

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