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nl(1)
NAME
nl - Numbers lines in a file
SYNOPSIS
nl [-b type] [-d delimiter1[delimiter2]] [-f type] [-h type] [-i number]
[-l number] [-n format] [-p] [-s [separator]] [-vnumber] [-wnumber] [file]
STANDARDS
Interfaces documented on this reference page conform to industry standards
as follows:
nl: XCU5.0
Refer to the standards(5) reference page for more information about
industry standards and associated tags.
OPTIONS
Use the following options to change the default settings.
-b type
Specifies which body section lines to number. The recognized types are
as follows:
a Numbers all lines.
t Number only non-empty lines.
n Does not number any lines.
p pattern
Numbers only those lines containing the specified pattern. The
full range of regular expressions is supported for pattern.
The default for type is t.
-d delimiter1[delimiter2]
Uses delimiter1 and delimiter2 as the delimiters for the start of a
logical page section. The default characters are \: (backslash
followed by a colon).
You can specify either one or two characters after the -d option. If
you want to use a backslash as a delimiter, enter two backslashes (\\).
If you specify only one character, it is used as start of a logical
page, and the end delimiter remains the default.
-f type
Specifies which logical page footer lines to number. The types
recognized are the same as in -b type.
The default for type is n.
-h type
Specifies which logical page header lines to number. The types
recognized are the same as in -b type.
The default for type is n.
-i number
Increments logical page line numbers by number. The default is 1.
-l number
Counts number blank lines as 1. You must use one or more of the "-ba",
"-fa", and "-ha" options with this option for it to be effective. For
example, -l3 will only number the third adjacent blank. The default is
1.
-n format
Specifies format as the line numbering format. Recognized formats are
as follows:
ln Left justified, leading zeroes are suppressed.
rn Right justified, leading zeroes are suppressed (default).
rz Right justified, leading zeroes are kept.
-p Ignores logical page delimiters (does not restart numbering).
-s [separator]
Separates text from line numbers with the separator string. The
default value of separator is a tab character.
[Tru64 UNIX] If you enter -s without an argument, there is no
separation between the line number and its text.
-v number
Sets the initial logical page line number to number.
-w number
Specifies number as the number of digits in the line number. The
default value of number is 6.
OPERANDS
file
The path name of a file in which the lines are to be numbered. If file
is not specified, standard input is used.
DESCRIPTION
The nl command reads file (standard input by default), numbers the lines in
the input, and writes the numbered lines to standard output.
In the output, nl numbers the lines on the left, according to the options
you specify on the command line.
The input text must be written in logical pages. Each logical page has a
header, a body, and a footer section (sections can be empty). Unless you
use the -p option, nl resets the line numbers at the start of each logical
page. You can set line numbering options independently for the header,
body, and footer sections (for example, no numbering of header and footer
lines while numbering text lines only in the body).
Signal the start of logical page sections with lines in file that contain
nothing but the following delimiter characters (assuming the default
delimiters--see the description of the -d option):
Line Contents Start of
\:\:\: Header
\:\: Body
\: Footer
You can name only one file on the command line. You can list the options
and the file name in any order.
EXIT STATUS
The following exit values are returned:
0 Successful completion.
>0 An error occurred.
EXAMPLES
1. To number only the nonblank lines, enter:
nl chap1
This displays a numbered listing of chap1, numbering only the nonblank
lines in the body sections. If chap1 contains no \:\:\ :, \:\ :, or
\: delimiters, then the entire file is considered the body.
2. To number all lines, enter:
nl -ba chap1
This numbers all the lines in the body sections, including blank
lines. This form of the nl command is adequate for most uses.
3. To specify a different line number format, enter:
nl -i10 -nrz -s:: -v10 -w4 chap1
This numbers the lines of chap1, starting with 10 (-v10) and counting
by 10s (-i10). It displays four digits for each number (-w4),
including leading zeroes (-nrz). The line numbers are separated from
the text by two colons (-s::).
For example, if chap1 contains the following text:
A not-so-important note to remember:
You can't kill time without injuring eternity.
then the numbered listing is as follows:
0010::A not-so-important note to remember:
0020::You can't kill time without injuring eternity.
Notice that the blank line was not numbered. To do this, use the -ba
option as shown in Example 2.
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
The following environment variables affect the execution of nl:
LANG
Provides a default value for the internationalization variables that
are unset or null. If LANG is unset or null, the corresponding value
from the default locale is used. If any of the internationalization
variables contain an invalid setting, the utility behaves as if none of
the variables had been defined.
LC_ALL
If set to a non-empty string value, overrides the values of all the
other internationalization variables.
LC_CTYPE
Determines the locale for the interpretation of sequences of bytes of
text data as characters (for example, single-byte as opposed to
multibyte characters in arguments and input files), the behavior of
classes within regular expressions, and for deciding which characters
are in character class graph.
LC_MESSAGES
Determines the locale for the format and contents of diagnostic
messages written to standard error.
NLSPATH
Determines the location of message catalogues for the processing of
LC_MESSAGES.
SEE ALSO
Commands: cat(1), pr(1)
Standards: standards(5)
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