[Chapter 10] The Sed Editor
Author: Daniel Gilly & the Staff of O'Reilly & Associates
Date: 1998-08-06T22:00:11Z

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| Chapter 10 |

# 10. The Sed Editor

Contents:
Command-line Syntax
Conceptual Overview
Syntax of Sed Commands
Group Summary of Sed Commands
Alphabetical Summary of Sed Commands

This section presents the following topics:

- Command-line syntax

- Conceptual overview of sed

- Syntax of sed commands

- Group summary of sed commands

- Alphabetical summary of sed commands

For more information, see the Nutshell Handbook sed & awk.

## 10.1 Command-line Syntax

The syntax for invoking sed has two forms:

> sed [`options`] '`command`' `file(s)`

> sed [`options`] -f `scriptfile file(s)`

The first form allows you to specify an editing command on the command line, surrounded by single quotes. The second form allows you to specify a `scriptfile`, a file containing sed commands. If no files are specified, sed reads from standard input.

The following `options` are recognized:

-n

  Suppress the default output; sed displays only those lines specified with the p command, or with the p flag of the s command.

-e `cmd`

  Next argument is an editing command; not needed unless specifying two or more editing commands.

-f `file`

  Next argument is a file containing editing commands.

9.2 Alphabetical Summary of Ex Commands |  | 10.2 Conceptual Overview