CUT(1) BSD Reference Manual CUT(1)NAMEcut - select portions of each line of a file
SYNOPSIScut-b list [-n] [file ...]
cut-c list [file ...]
cut-f list [-d delim] [-s] [file ...]
DESCRIPTION
The cut utility selects portions of each line (as specified by list) from
each file (or the standard input by default), and writes them to the
standard output. The items specified by list can be in terms of column
position or in terms of fields delimited by a special character. Column
numbering starts from 1.
list is a comma or whitespace separated set of increasing numbers and/or
number ranges. Number ranges consist of a number, a dash ('-'), and a
second number which select the fields or columns from the first number to
the second, inclusive. Numbers or number ranges may be preceded by a
dash, which selects all fields or columns from 1 to the first number.
Numbers or number ranges may be followed by a dash, which selects all
fields or columns from the last number to the end of the line. Numbers
and number ranges may be repeated, overlapping, and in any order. It is
not an error to select fields or columns not present in the input line.
The options are as follows:
-b list
The list specifies byte positions.
-c list
The list specifies character positions.
-d string
Use the first character of string as the field delimiter charac-
ter instead of the tab character.
-f list
The list specifies fields, delimited in the input by a single tab
character. Output fields are separated by a single tab character.
-n Do not split multi-byte characters.
-s Suppresses lines with no field delimiter characters. Unless
specified, lines with no delimiters are passed through unmodi-
fied.
The cut utility exits 0 on success or 1 if an error occurred.
SEE ALSOpaste(1)STANDARDS
The cut utility conforms to IEEE Std 1003.2-1992 ("POSIX.2").
MirOS BSD #10-current June 6, 1993 1
