cut -- Command

Select portions of each line of its input
cut -clist [file ...]
cut -flist [-s] [-d char] [file ...]

cut ``cuts''  one or pieces out  of each line in its  input, and writes the
piece or pieces  to the standard output.  list specifies  the pieces to cut
out of  each line.  cut reads  its input from file; if no  file is named on
its command line, cut reads the standard input.

A  ``piece''  of  an input  line  can  be defined  either  as  one or  more
characters from fixed positions in the line; or as one or more fields.  The
option  -c selects  characters  from fixed  positions; you  would use  this
option if  you were cutting  up a file each  of whose lines was  of a fixed
length.  The  option -f selects  fields.  A field  does not have  to have a
fixed length,  but its  end must  be marked by  some special  character; by
default, a white-space character marks the  end of a field.  Option -d lets
you specify the ``magic character'' that  marks the end of a field.  Option
-s tells  cut to  throw away  every line that  does not contain  the field-
delimiter character.   By default, cut  will pass through  unmodified every
line that does not contain the field delimiter.

Options -c and  -f are each followed by a  list, which describes the pieces
that you want from each input line.  A piece is defined as follows:

N    A  piece consists  of  a single  column  or field.   For example,  the
     command

         cut -f2 /etc/ttytype

     selects field 2 from file /etc/ttytype.

N-N  The range of columns or fields.  For example, command

         cut -c4-12 /etc/ttytype

     selects columns 4 through 12, inclusive, from file /etc/ttytype.

-N   Select every column or field from the beginning of the line through N.
     For example, command

         cut -d\| -f-3

     reads the first three fields from the standard input.

N-   Select every column or field from  N through the end of the line.  For
     example, the command

         cut -c15-

     selects every character from character 15 through the end of the line.

If list defines more than one  piece, the definitions of the pieces must be
separated by commas.  For example, the command

    cut -c3-5,7-9

cuts columns  three through five  and seven through nine  from the standard
input, and writes them onto the standard output.

cut returns zero on success, one if an error occurred.

Examples

The  following  cuts  column 4  through  the  end  of  the line  from  file
/etc/ttys, and  writes the cut piece onto the  standard output.  In effect,
it throws away the first three columns of every line in that file:

    cut -c4- /etc/ttys

You would  use this command  to display every serial-port  device name that
that file contains.

The next  command selects fields one and six  from file /etc/passwd. (Field
one in this  file gives a user's login identifier;  and field six gives her
home directory.)  Note that fields  in this file  are delimited by  a colon
`:'.

    cut -d: -f1,6 /etc/passwd

The final example cuts the first  field from the input.  It also explicitly
sets  the field  delimiter  to the  space  character.  You  would use  this
command to clip  any trailing white space from data  read from the standard
input:

    cut -f1 -d' '

See Also

awk,
commands,
paste,
sed

Notes

cut  is copyright  © 1988,1990  by  The Regents  of the  University of
California.  All rights reserved.

© 2012 by Stephen A. Ness