1 .\" $FreeBSD: src/bin/ed/ed.1,v 1.35 2005/01/16 16:41:56 ru Exp $
23 utility is a line-oriented text editor.
24 It is used to create, display, modify and otherwise manipulate text
30 mode, in which the only difference is that the editor restricts the
31 use of filenames which start with
33 (interpreted as shell commands by
37 Note that editing outside of the current directory is only prohibited
38 if the user does not have write access to the current directory.
39 If a user has write access to the current directory, then symbolic
40 links can be created in the current directory, in which case
42 will not stop the user from editing the file that the symbolic link
47 argument, then a copy of
49 is read into the editor's buffer.
50 Changes are made to this copy and not directly to
55 any changes not explicitly saved with a
59 Editing is done in two distinct modes:
66 In this mode commands are read from the standard input and
67 executed to manipulate the contents of the editor buffer.
68 A typical command might look like:
77 which replaces all occurrences of the string
82 When an input command, such as
91 This is the primary means
92 of adding text to a file.
93 In this mode, no commands are available;
94 instead, the standard input is written
95 directly to the editor buffer.
96 Lines consist of text up to and
100 Input mode is terminated by
101 entering a single period
107 commands operate on whole lines or ranges of lines; e.g.,
110 command deletes lines; the
112 command moves lines, and so on.
113 It is possible to modify only a portion of a line by means of replacement,
114 as in the example above.
115 However even here, the
117 command is applied to whole lines at a time.
121 commands consist of zero or more line addresses, followed by a single
122 character command and possibly additional parameters; i.e.,
123 commands have the structure:
127 .Op Ar address Op , Ar address
128 .Ar command Op Ar parameters
132 The address(es) indicate the line or range of lines to be affected by the
134 If fewer addresses are given than the command accepts, then
135 default addresses are supplied.
137 The following options are available:
138 .Bl -tag -width indent
140 Suppress diagnostics.
141 This should be used if
143 standard input is from a script.
145 Prompt for an encryption key to be used in subsequent reads and writes
149 Unsupported on Mac OS X.
151 Specify a command prompt.
152 This may be toggled on and off with the
156 Specify the name of a file to read.
160 bang (!), then it is interpreted as a shell command.
163 the standard output of
167 To read a file whose name begins with a bang, prefix the
168 name with a backslash (\\).
169 The default filename is set to
171 only if it is not prefixed with a bang.
174 An address represents the number of a line in the buffer.
180 typically supplied to commands as the default address when none is specified.
181 When a file is first read, the current address is set to the last line
183 In general, the current address is set to the last line
184 affected by a command.
187 constructed from one of the bases in the list below, optionally followed
189 The offset may include any combination
190 of digits, operators (i.e.,
196 Addresses are read from left to right, and their values are computed
197 relative to the current address.
199 One exception to the rule that addresses represent line numbers is the
203 This means "before the first line,"
204 and is legal wherever it makes sense.
206 An address range is two addresses separated either by a comma or
208 The value of the first address in a range cannot exceed the
210 If only one address is given in a range, then
211 the second address is set to the given address.
214 of addresses is given where
216 then the corresponding range is determined by the last two addresses in
219 If only one address is expected, then the last address is used.
221 Each address in a comma-delimited range is interpreted relative to the
223 In a semi-colon-delimited range, the first address is
224 used to set the current address, and the second address is interpreted
225 relative to the first.
227 The following address symbols are recognized:
228 .Bl -tag -width indent
230 The current line (address) in the buffer.
232 The last line in the buffer.
239 is a number in the range
243 This is equivalent to
245 and may be repeated with cumulative effect.
251 is a non-negative number.
254 This is equivalent to
256 and may be repeated with cumulative effect.
262 is a non-negative number.
264 The first through last lines in the buffer.
265 This is equivalent to
269 The current through last lines in the buffer.
270 This is equivalent to
274 The next line containing the regular expression
276 The search wraps to the beginning of the buffer and continues down to the
277 current line, if necessary.
278 // repeats the last search.
281 previous line containing the regular expression
283 The search wraps to the end of the buffer and continues up to the
284 current line, if necessary.
285 ?? repeats the last search.
288 line previously marked by a
290 (mark) command, where
292 is a lower case letter.
294 .Sh REGULAR EXPRESSIONS
295 Regular expressions are patterns used in selecting text.
296 For example, the command:
299 .Cm g No / Em string Xo
304 prints all lines containing
306 Regular expressions are also
309 command for selecting old text to be replaced with new.
311 In addition to a specifying string literals, regular expressions can
314 Strings thus represented are said to be matched
315 by the corresponding regular expression.
316 If it is possible for a regular expression
317 to match several strings in a line, then the left-most longest match is
320 The following symbols are used in constructing regular expressions:
321 .Bl -tag -width indent
325 not listed below, including
335 Any backslash-escaped character
347 Match any single character.
349 Match any single character in
355 it must be the first character.
356 A range of characters may be specified by separating the end characters
361 specifies the lower case characters.
362 The following literal expressions can also be used in
364 to specify sets of characters:
366 .Bl -column "[:alnum:]" "[:cntrl:]" "[:lower:]" "[:xdigit:]" -compact
367 .It [:alnum:] Ta [:cntrl:] Ta [:lower:] Ta [:space:]
368 .It [:alpha:] Ta [:digit:] Ta [:print:] Ta [:upper:]
369 .It [:blank:] Ta [:graph:] Ta [:punct:] Ta [:xdigit:]
374 appears as the first or last
377 then it matches itself.
378 All other characters in
386 .Bl -item -compact -offset 2n
388 .Op \&. Ns Ar col-elm Ns .\&
391 .Op = Ns Ar col-elm Ns =
397 .Em collating element
398 are interpreted according to the current locale settings
399 (not currently supported).
404 for an explanation of these constructs.
406 Match any single character, other than newline, not in
414 is the first character of a regular expression, then it
415 anchors the regular expression to the beginning of a line.
416 Otherwise, it matches itself.
420 is the last character of a regular expression, it
421 anchors the regular expression to the end of a line.
422 Otherwise, it matches itself.
424 Anchor the single character regular expression or subexpression
425 immediately following it to the beginning of a word.
426 (This may not be available)
428 Anchor the single character regular expression or subexpression
429 immediately following it to the end of a word.
430 (This may not be available)
432 Define a subexpression
434 Subexpressions may be nested.
435 A subsequent backreference of the form
439 is a number in the range [1,9], expands to the text matched by the
442 For example, the regular expression
445 consisting of identical adjacent substrings.
446 Subexpressions are ordered relative to
447 their left delimiter.
449 Match the single character regular expression or subexpression
450 immediately preceding it zero or more times.
454 character of a regular expression or subexpression, then it matches
458 operator sometimes yields unexpected results.
459 For example, the regular expression
461 matches the beginning of
464 (as opposed to the substring
467 is the only left-most match.
468 .It \e{n,m\e} or \e{n,\e} or \e{n\e}
469 Match the single character regular expression or subexpression
470 immediately preceding it at least
477 is omitted, then it matches at least
480 If the comma is also omitted, then it matches exactly
485 Additional regular expression operators may be defined depending on the
492 commands are single characters, though some require additional parameters.
493 If a command's parameters extend over several lines, then
494 each line except for the last
495 must be terminated with a backslash (\\).
497 In general, at most one command is allowed per line.
498 However, most commands accept a print suffix, which is any of
506 to print the last line affected by the command.
508 An interrupt (typically ^C) has the effect of aborting the current command
509 and returning the editor to command mode.
514 recognizes the following commands.
515 The commands are shown together with
516 the default address or address range supplied if none is
517 specified (in parenthesis).
518 .Bl -tag -width indent
520 Append text to the buffer after the addressed line.
521 Text is entered in input mode.
522 The current address is set to last line entered.
524 Change lines in the buffer.
525 The addressed lines are deleted
526 from the buffer, and text is appended in their place.
527 Text is entered in input mode.
528 The current address is set to last line entered.
530 Delete the addressed lines from the buffer.
531 If there is a line after the deleted range, then the current address is set
533 Otherwise the current address is set to the line
534 before the deleted range.
538 and sets the default filename.
541 is not specified, then the default filename is used.
542 Any lines in the buffer are deleted before
543 the new file is read.
544 The current address is set to the last line read.
546 Edit the standard output of
551 The default filename is unchanged.
552 Any lines in the buffer are deleted before the output of
555 The current address is set to the last line read.
560 This is similar to the
563 except that unwritten changes are discarded without warning.
564 The current address is set to the last line read.
566 Set the default filename to
570 is not specified, then the default unescaped filename is printed.
571 .It (1,$)g/re/command-list
574 to each of the addressed lines matching a regular expression
576 The current address is set to the
577 line currently matched before
582 command, the current address is set to the last line affected by
587 must be on a separate line,
588 and every line except for the last must be terminated by a backslash
590 Any commands are allowed, except for
602 Interactively edit the addressed lines matching a regular expression
604 For each matching line,
606 the current address is set,
607 and the user is prompted to enter a
611 command, the current address
612 is set to the last line affected by (the last)
617 is the same as that of the
620 A newline alone acts as a null command list.
623 repeats the last non-null command list.
625 Toggle the printing of error explanations.
626 By default, explanations are not printed.
627 It is recommended that ed scripts begin with this command to
630 Print an explanation of the last error.
632 Insert text in the buffer before the current line.
633 Text is entered in input mode.
634 The current address is set to the last line entered.
636 Join the addressed lines.
637 The addressed lines are
638 deleted from the buffer and replaced by a single
639 line containing their joined text.
640 The current address is set to the resultant line.
642 Mark a line with a lower case letter
644 The line can then be addressed as
646 (i.e., a single quote followed by
648 in subsequent commands.
649 The mark is not cleared until the line is
650 deleted or otherwise modified.
652 Print the addressed lines unambiguously.
653 If a single line fills for than one screen (as might be the case
654 when viewing a binary file, for instance), a
656 prompt is printed on the last line.
659 utility waits until the RETURN key is pressed
660 before displaying the next screen.
661 The current address is set to the last line
664 Move lines in the buffer.
665 The addressed lines are moved to after the
666 right-hand destination address, which may be the address
669 The current address is set to the
672 Print the addressed lines along with
674 The current address is set to the last line
677 Print the addressed lines.
678 The current address is set to the last line
681 Toggle the command prompt on and off.
682 Unless a prompt was specified by with command-line option
684 the command prompt is by default turned off.
692 This is similar to the
695 except that unwritten changes are discarded without warning.
699 to after the addressed line.
702 is not specified, then the default
704 If there was no default filename prior to the command,
705 then the default filename is set to
707 Otherwise, the default filename is unchanged.
708 The current address is set to the last line read.
711 to after the addressed line
712 the standard output of
717 The default filename is unchanged.
718 The current address is set to the last line read.
719 .It (.,.)s/re/replacement/
720 .It (.,.)s/re/replacement/g
721 .It (.,.)s/re/replacement/n
722 Replace text in the addressed lines
723 matching a regular expression
727 By default, only the first match in each line is replaced.
730 (global) suffix is given, then every match to be replaced.
735 is a positive number, causes only the
737 match to be replaced.
738 It is an error if no substitutions are performed on any of the addressed
740 The current address is set the last line affected.
745 may be delimited by any character other than space and newline
749 If one or two of the last delimiters is omitted, then the last line
750 affected is printed as though the print suffix
758 is replaced by the currently matched text.
759 The character sequence
763 is a number in the range [1,9], is replaced by the
765 backreference expression of the matched text.
772 from the last substitution is used.
773 Newlines may be embedded in
775 if they are escaped with a backslash (\\).
777 Repeat the last substitution.
780 command accepts a count suffix
782 or any combination of the characters
789 is given, then only the
795 the regular expression of the last search to be used instead of the
796 that of the last substitution.
799 suffix toggles the global suffix of the last substitution.
802 suffix toggles the print suffix of the last substitution
803 The current address is set to the last line affected.
805 Copy (i.e., transfer) the addressed lines to after the right-hand
806 destination address, which may be the address
809 The current address is set to the last line
812 Undo the last command and restores the current address
813 to what it was before the command.
820 are treated as a single command by undo.
823 .It (1,$)v/re/command-list
826 to each of the addressed lines not matching a regular expression
828 This is similar to the
832 Interactively edit the addressed lines not matching a regular expression
834 This is similar to the
838 Write the addressed lines to
840 Any previous contents of
842 is lost without warning.
843 If there is no default filename, then the default filename is set to
845 otherwise it is unchanged.
846 If no filename is specified, then the default
848 The current address is unchanged.
850 Write the addressed lines to
855 .It (1,$)w Ar !command
856 Write the addressed lines to the standard input of
861 The default filename and current address are unchanged.
863 Append the addressed lines to the end of
865 This is similar to the
867 command, expect that the previous contents of file is not clobbered.
868 The current address is unchanged.
870 Prompt for an encryption key which is used in subsequent reads and
872 If a newline alone is entered as the key, then encryption is
874 Otherwise, echoing is disabled while a key is read.
875 Unsupported on Mac OS X.
879 lines at a time starting at addressed line.
882 is not specified, then the current window size is used.
883 The current address is set to the last line printed.
889 If the first character of
893 then it is replaced by text of the
898 utility does not process
900 for backslash (\\) escapes.
901 However, an unescaped
903 is replaced by the default filename.
904 When the shell returns from execution, a
906 is printed to the standard output.
907 The current line is unchanged.
909 Print the line number of the addressed line.
911 Print the addressed line, and sets the current address to
915 .Bl -tag -width /tmp/ed.* -compact
921 attempts to write the buffer if the terminal hangs up
924 When an error occurs,
928 and either returns to command mode
929 or exits if its input is from a script.
930 An explanation of the last error can be
937 (global) command masks any errors from failed searches and substitutions,
938 it can be used to perform conditional operations in scripts; e.g.,
948 replaces any occurrences of
954 (undo) command occurs in a global command list, then
955 the command list is executed only once.
957 If diagnostics are not disabled, attempting to quit
959 or edit another file before writing a modified buffer
961 If the command is entered a second time, it succeeds,
962 but any changes to the buffer are lost.
974 .%B Software Tools in Pascal
983 arguments for backslash escapes, i.e., in a filename,
984 any characters preceded by a backslash (\\) are
985 interpreted literally.
987 If a text (non-binary) file is not terminated by a newline character,
990 appends one on reading/writing it.
991 In the case of a binary file,
993 does not append a newline on reading/writing.
995 per line overhead: 4 ints
1000 Version 1 AT&T UNIX.
1004 utility does not recognize multibyte characters.