ed man page on OpenBSD

Man page or keyword search:  
man Server   11362 pages
apropos Keyword Search (all sections)
Output format
OpenBSD logo
[printable version]

ED(1)			   OpenBSD Reference Manual			 ED(1)

NAME
     ed - text editor

SYNOPSIS
     ed [-] [-sx] [-p string] [file]

DESCRIPTION
     ed is a line-oriented text editor.	 It is used to create, display,
     modify, and otherwise manipulate text files.  If invoked with a file
     argument, then a copy of file is read into the editor's buffer.  Changes
     are made to this copy and not directly to file itself.  Upon quitting ed,
     any changes not explicitly saved with a w command are lost.

     Editing is done in two distinct modes: command and input.	When first
     invoked, ed is in command mode.  In this mode, commands are read from the
     standard input and executed to manipulate the contents of the editor
     buffer.

     A typical command might look like:

	   ,s/old/new/g

     which replaces all occurrences of the string "old" with "new".

     When an input command, such as a (append), i (insert), or c (change) is
     given, ed enters input mode.  This is the primary means of adding text to
     a file.  In this mode, no commands are available; instead, the standard
     input is written directly to the editor buffer.  Lines consist of text up
     to and including a newline character.  Input mode is terminated by
     entering a single period (`.') on a line.

     All ed commands operate on whole lines or ranges of lines; e.g., the d
     command deletes lines; the m command moves lines, and so on.  It is
     possible to modify only a portion of a line by means of replacement, as
     in the example above.  However, even here, the s command is applied to
     whole lines at a time.

     In general, ed commands consist of zero or more line addresses, followed
     by a single character command and possibly additional parameters; i.e.,
     commands have the structure:

	   [address [,address]]command[parameters]

     The address(es) indicate the line or range of lines to be affected by the
     command.  If fewer addresses are given than the command accepts, then
     default addresses are supplied.

     Many ed commands and line addresses support basic regular expressions
     (BREs).  See re_format(7) for more information on regular expressions.

     The options are as follows:

     -		Same as the -s option (deprecated).

     -p string	Specifies a command prompt.  This may be toggled on and off
		with the P command.

     -s		Suppress diagnostics.  This should be used if ed standard
		input is from a script.

     -x		Prompt for an encryption key to be used in subsequent reads
		and writes (see the x command).

     file	Specifies the name of a file to read.  If file is prefixed
		with a bang (`!'), then it is interpreted as a shell command.
		In this case, what is read is the standard output of file
		executed via sh(1).  To read a file whose name begins with a
		bang, prefix the name with a backslash (`\').  The default
		filename is set to file only if it is not prefixed with a
		bang.

   LINE ADDRESSING
     An address represents the number of a line in the buffer.	ed maintains a
     current address which is typically supplied to commands as the default
     address when none is specified.  When a file is first read, the current
     address is set to the last line of the file.  In general, the current
     address is set to the last line affected by a command.

     A line address is constructed from one of the bases in the list below,
     optionally followed by a numeric offset.  The offset may include any
     combination of digits, operators (e.g., `+', `-', and `^'), and
     whitespace.  Addresses are read from left to right, and their values are
     computed relative to the current address.

     One exception to the rule that addresses represent line numbers is the
     address 0 (zero).	This means ``before the first line'', and is legal
     wherever it makes sense.

     An address range is two addresses separated either by a comma or semi-
     colon.  The value of the first address in a range cannot exceed the value
     of the second.  If only one address is given in a range, then the second
     address is set to the given address.  If an n-tuple of addresses is given
     where n > 2, then the corresponding range is determined by the last two
     addresses in the n-tuple.	If only one address is expected, then the last
     address is used.

     Each address in a comma-delimited range is interpreted relative to the
     current address.  In a semi-colon-delimited range, the first address is
     used to set the current address, and the second address is interpreted
     relative to the first.

     The following address symbols are recognized:

     .	     The current line (address) in the buffer.

     $	     The last line in the buffer.

     n	     The nth line in the buffer, where n is a number in the range
	     [0,$].

     - or ^  The previous line.	 This is equivalent to -1 and may be repeated
	     with cumulative effect.

     -n or  ^n
	     The nth previous line, where n is a non-negative number.

     +	     The next line.  This is equivalent to +1 and may be repeated with
	     cumulative effect.

     +n	     The nth next line, where n is a non-negative number.

     , or %  The first through last lines in the buffer.  This is equivalent
	     to the address range 1,$.

     ;	     The current through last lines in the buffer.  This is equivalent
	     to the address range .,$.

     /re/    The next line containing the regular expression re.  The search
	     wraps to the beginning of the buffer and continues down to the
	     current line, if necessary.  "//" repeats the last search.

     ?re?    The previous line containing the regular expression re.  The
	     search wraps to the end of the buffer and continues up to the
	     current line, if necessary.  "??" repeats the last search.

     'lc     The line previously marked by a k (mark) command, where lc is a
	     lower case letter.

   COMMANDS
     All ed commands are single characters, though some require additional
     parameters.  If a command's parameters extend over several lines, then
     each line except for the last must be terminated with a backslash (`\').

     In general, at most one command is allowed per line.  However, most
     commands accept a print suffix, which is any of p (print), l (list), or n
     (enumerate), to print the last line affected by the command.

     An interrupt (typically ^C) has the effect of aborting the current
     command and returning the editor to command mode.

     ed recognizes the following commands.  The commands are shown together
     with the default address or address range supplied if none is specified
     (in parentheses), and other possible arguments on the right.

     (.)a  Appends text to the buffer after the addressed line.	 Text is
	   entered in input mode.  The current address is set to last line
	   entered.

     (.,.)c
	   Changes lines in the buffer.	 The addressed lines are deleted from
	   the buffer, and text is appended in their place.  Text is entered
	   in input mode.  The current address is set to last line entered.

     (.,.)d
	   Deletes the addressed lines from the buffer.	 If there is a line
	   after the deleted range, then the current address is set to this
	   line.  Otherwise the current address is set to the line before the
	   deleted range.

     e file
	   Edits file, and sets the default filename.  If file is not
	   specified, then the default filename is used.  Any lines in the
	   buffer are deleted before the new file is read.  The current
	   address is set to the last line read.

     e !command
	   Edits the standard output of !command, (see !command below).	 The
	   default filename is unchanged.  Any lines in the buffer are deleted
	   before the output of command is read.  The current address is set
	   to the last line read.

     E file
	   Edits file unconditionally.	This is similar to the e command,
	   except that unwritten changes are discarded without warning.	 The
	   current address is set to the last line read.

     f file
	   Sets the default filename to file.  If file is not specified, then
	   the default unescaped filename is printed.

     (1,$)g/re/command-list
	   Applies command-list to each of the addressed lines matching a
	   regular expression re.  The current address is set to the line
	   currently matched before command-list is executed.  At the end of
	   the g command, the current address is set to the last line affected
	   by command-list.  If no lines were matched, the current line number
	   remains unchanged.

	   Each command in command-list must be on a separate line, and every
	   line except for the last must be terminated by a backslash (`\').
	   Any commands are allowed, except for g, G, v, and V.	 A newline
	   alone in command-list is equivalent to a p command.

     (1,$)G/re/
	   Interactively edits the addressed lines matching a regular
	   expression re.  For each matching line, the line is printed, the
	   current address is set, and the user is prompted to enter a
	   command-list.  At the end of the G command, the current address is
	   set to the last line affected by (the last) command-list.  If no
	   lines were matched, the current line number remains unchanged.

	   The format of command-list is the same as that of the g command.  A
	   newline alone acts as a null command list.  A single `&' repeats
	   the last non-null command list.

     H	   Toggles the printing of error explanations.	By default,
	   explanations are not printed.  It is recommended that ed scripts
	   begin with this command to aid in debugging.

     h	   Prints an explanation of the last error.

     (.)i  Inserts text in the buffer before the current line.	Text is
	   entered in input mode.  The current address is set to the last line
	   entered.

     (.,.+1)j
	   Joins the addressed lines.  The addressed lines are deleted from
	   the buffer and replaced by a single line containing their joined
	   text.  The current address is set to the resultant line.

     (.)klc
	   Marks a line with a lower case letter lc.  The line can then be
	   addressed as 'lc (i.e., a single quote followed by lc) in
	   subsequent commands.	 The mark is not cleared until the line is
	   deleted or otherwise modified.

     (.,.)l
	   Prints the addressed lines unambiguously.  If a single line fills
	   more than one screen (as might be the case when viewing a binary
	   file, for instance), a ``--More--'' prompt is printed on the last
	   line.  ed waits until the RETURN key is pressed before displaying
	   the next screen.  The current address is set to the last line
	   printed.

     (.,.)m(.)
	   Moves lines in the buffer.  The addressed lines are moved to after
	   the right-hand destination address, which may be the address 0
	   (zero).  The current address is set to the last line moved.

     (.,.)n
	   Prints the addressed lines along with their line numbers.  The
	   current address is set to the last line printed.

     (.,.)p
	   Prints the addressed lines.	The current address is set to the last
	   line printed.

     P	   Toggles the command prompt on and off.  Unless a prompt was
	   specified with the command-line option -p string, the command
	   prompt is by default turned off.

     q	   Quits ed.

     Q	   Quits ed unconditionally.  This is similar to the q command, except
	   that unwritten changes are discarded without warning.

     ($)r file
	   Reads file to after the addressed line.  If file is not specified,
	   then the default filename is used.  If there was no default
	   filename prior to the command, then the default filename is set to
	   file.  Otherwise, the default filename is unchanged.	 The current
	   address is set to the last line read.

     ($)r !command
	   Reads to after the addressed line the standard output of !command,
	   (see !command below).  The default filename is unchanged.  The
	   current address is set to the last line read.

     (.,.)s/re/replacement/ (.,.)s/re/replacement/g (.,.)s/re/replacement/n
	   Replaces text in the addressed lines matching a regular expression
	   re with replacement.	 By default, only the first match in each line
	   is replaced.	 If the g (global) suffix is given, then every match
	   is replaced.	 The n suffix, where n is a positive number, causes
	   only the nth match to be replaced.  It is an error if no
	   substitutions are performed on any of the addressed lines.  The
	   current address is set the last line affected.

	   re and replacement may be delimited by any character other than
	   space and newline (see the s command below).	 If one or two of the
	   last delimiters is omitted, then the last line affected is printed
	   as though the print suffix p were specified.

	   An unescaped `&' in replacement is replaced by the currently
	   matched text.  The character sequence \m, where m is a number in
	   the range [1,9], is replaced by the mth backreference expression of
	   the matched text.  If replacement consists of a single `%', then
	   replacement from the last substitution is used.  Newlines may be
	   embedded in replacement if they are escaped with a backslash (`\').

     (.,.)s
	   Repeats the last substitution.  This form of the s command accepts
	   a count suffix n, or any combination of the characters r, g, and p.
	   If a count suffix n is given, then only the nth match is replaced.
	   The r suffix causes the regular expression of the last search to be
	   used instead of that of the last substitution.  The g suffix
	   toggles the global suffix of the last substitution.	The p suffix
	   toggles the print suffix of the last substitution.  The current
	   address is set to the last line affected.

     (.,.)t(.)
	   Copies (i.e., transfers) the addressed lines to after the right-
	   hand destination address, which may be the address 0 (zero).	 The
	   current address is set to the last line copied.

     u	   Undoes the last command and restores the current address to what it
	   was before the command.  The global commands g, G, v, and V are
	   treated as a single command by undo.	 u is its own inverse.

     (1,$)v/re/command-list
	   Applies command-list to each of the addressed lines not matching a
	   regular expression re.  This is similar to the g command.

     (1,$)V/re/
	   Interactively edits the addressed lines not matching a regular
	   expression re.  This is similar to the G command.

     (1,$)w file
	   Writes the addressed lines to file.	Any previous contents of file
	   are lost without warning.  If there is no default filename, then
	   the default filename is set to file, otherwise it is unchanged.  If
	   no filename is specified, then the default filename is used.	 The
	   current address is unchanged.

     (1,$)wq file
	   Writes the addressed lines to file, and then executes a q command.

     (1,$)w !command
	   Writes the addressed lines to the standard input of !command, (see
	   !command below).  The default filename and current address are
	   unchanged.

     (1,$)W file
	   Appends the addressed lines to the end of file.  This is similar to
	   the w command, except that the previous contents of file are not
	   clobbered.  The current address is unchanged.

     x	   Prompts for an encryption key which is used in subsequent reads and
	   writes.  If a newline alone is entered as the key, then encryption
	   is turned off.  Otherwise, echoing is disabled while a key is read.
	   Encryption/decryption is done using the bdes(1) algorithm.

     (.+1)zn
	   Scrolls n lines at a time starting at addressed line.  If n is not
	   specified, then the current window size is used.  The current
	   address is set to the last line printed.

     ($)=  Prints the line number of the addressed line.

     (.+1)newline
	   Prints the addressed line, and sets the current address to that
	   line.

     !command
	   Executes command via sh(1).	If the first character of command is
	   `!', then it is replaced by text of the previous !command.  ed does
	   not process command for `\' (backslash) escapes.  However, an
	   unescaped `%' is replaced by the default filename.  When the shell
	   returns from execution, a `!' is printed to the standard output.
	   The current line is unchanged.

FILES
     /tmp/ed.*	buffer file
     ed.hup	where ed attempts to write the buffer if the terminal hangs up

EXIT STATUS
     The ed utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.

DIAGNOSTICS
     When an error occurs, ed prints a `?' and either returns to command mode
     or exits if its input is from a script.  An explanation of the last error
     can be printed with the h (help) command.

     Since the g (global) command masks any errors from failed searches and
     substitutions, it can be used to perform conditional operations in
     scripts; e.g.,

	   g/old/s//new/

     replaces any occurrences of "old" with "new".

     If the u (undo) command occurs in a global command list, then the command
     list is executed only once.

     If diagnostics are not disabled, attempting to quit ed or edit another
     file before writing a modified buffer results in an error.	 If the
     command is entered a second time, it succeeds, but any changes to the
     buffer are lost.

SEE ALSO
     bdes(1), sed(1), sh(1), vi(1), re_format(7)

     B. W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger, Software Tools in Pascal, 1981,
     Addison-Wesley.

STANDARDS
     The ed utility is compliant with the IEEE Std 1003.1-2008 (``POSIX'')
     specification.

     The flag [-x] as well as the commands W, x, and z are extensions to that
     specification.

HISTORY
     An ed command appeared in Version 1 AT&T UNIX.

CAVEATS
     ed processes file arguments for backslash escapes, i.e., in a filename,
     any characters preceded by a backslash (`\') are interpreted literally.

     If a text (non-binary) file is not terminated by a newline character,
     then ed appends one on reading/writing it.	 In the case of a binary file,
     ed does not append a newline on reading/writing.

OpenBSD 4.9		       September 3, 2010		   OpenBSD 4.9
[top]

List of man pages available for OpenBSD

Copyright (c) for man pages and the logo by the respective OS vendor.

For those who want to learn more, the polarhome community provides shell access and support.

[legal] [privacy] [GNU] [policy] [cookies] [netiquette] [sponsors] [FAQ]
Tweet
Polarhome, production since 1999.
Member of Polarhome portal.
Based on Fawad Halim's script.
....................................................................
Vote for polarhome
Free Shell Accounts :: the biggest list on the net