Linux in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition

Group Summary of sed Commands

In the following tables, the sed commands are grouped by function and are described tersely. Full descriptions, including syntax and examples, can be found afterward in the alphabetical summary.

Basic Editing

Command	Action
a\	Append text after a line.
c\	Replace text (usually a text block).
i\	Insert text before a line.
d	Delete lines.
s	Make substitutions.
y	Translate characters (like tr in Chapter 3).

Line Information

Command	Action
=	Display line number of a line.
l	Display control characters in ASCII.
p	Display the line.

Input/Output Processing

Command	Action
n	Skip current line and go to line below.
r	Read another file’s contents into the input.
w	Write input lines to another file.
q	Quit the sed script (no further output).

Yanking and Putting

Command	Action
h	Copy pattern space into hold space; wipe out what’s there.
H	Copy pattern space into hold space; append to what’s there.
g	Get the hold space back; wipe out the pattern space.
G	Get the hold space back; append to the pattern space.
x	Exchange contents of hold space and pattern space.

Branching Commands

Command	Action
b	Branch to label or to end of script.
t	Same as b, but branch only after substitution.
:label	Label branched to by t or b.

Multiline Input Processing

Command	Action
N	Read another line of input (creates embedded newline).
D	Delete up to the embedded newline.
P	Print up ...