Cut (Unix)

Use

The command line consists of options and an optional file path. If no path is specified than standard input will be used.

Options include:

-b

Bytes; a list following -b specifies a range of bytes which will be returned, e.g. cut -b1-66 would return the first 66 bytes of a line. NB If used in conjunction with -n, no multi-byte characters will be split.

-c

Characters; a list following -c specifies a range of characters which will be returned, e.g. cut -c1-66 would return the first 66 characters of a line

-f

Specifies a field list, separated by a delimiter

list

A comma separated or blank separated list of integer denoted fields, incrementally ordered. The - indicator may be supplied as shorthand to allow inclusion of ranges of fields e.g. 4-6 for ranges 4–6 or 5- as shorthand for field 5 to the end, etc.

-n

Used in combination with -b suppresses splits of multi-byte characters

-d

Delimiter; the character immediately following the -d option is the field delimiter for use in conjunction with the -f option; the default delimiter is tab. Space and other characters with special meanings within the context of the shell in use must be enquoted or escaped as necessary.

-s

Bypasses lines which contain no field delimiters when -f is specified, unless otherwise indicated.

Examples

Given a file named foo with content:

foo:bar:baz:qux:quux one:two:three:four:five:six:seven alpha:beta:gamma:delta:epsilon:zeta:eta:theta:iota:kappa:lambda:mu the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

To output the fourth through tenth characters of each line:

<span id="mwjQ"></span><span class="gp" id="mwjg">$ </span>cut<span class="w" id="mwjw"> </span>-c<span class="w" id="mwkA"> </span><span class="m" id="mwkQ">4</span>-10<span class="w" id="mwkg"> </span>foo <span class="go" id="mwkw">:bar:ba</span> <span class="go" id="mwlA">:two:th</span> <span class="go" id="mwlQ">ha:beta</span> <span class="go" id="mwlg"> quick</span>

To output the fifth field through the end of the line of each line using the colon character as the field delimiter:

<span id="mwmw"></span><span class="gp" id="mwnA">$ </span>cut<span class="w" id="mwnQ"> </span>-d<span class="w" id="mwng"> </span><span class="s2" id="mwnw">":"</span><span class="w" id="mwoA"> </span>-f<span class="w" id="mwoQ"> </span><span class="m" id="mwog">5</span>-<span class="w" id="mwow"> </span>foo <span class="go" id="mwpA">quux</span> <span class="go" id="mwpQ">five:six:seven</span> <span class="go" id="mwpg">epsilon:zeta:eta:theta:iota:kappa:lambda:mu</span> <span class="go" id="mwpw">the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog</span>

Because the colon is not found in the last line, the entire line is shown.

Option -d specifies a single character delimiter (in the example above it is a colon) which serves as field separator. Option -f which specifies range of fields included in the output (here fields range from five till the end). Option -d presupposes usage of option -f.

To output the third field of each line using space as the field delimiter:

<span id="mwsQ"></span><span class="gp" id="mwsg">$ </span>cut<span class="w" id="mwsw"> </span>-d<span class="w" id="mwtA"> </span><span class="s2" id="mwtQ">" "</span><span class="w" id="mwtg"> </span>-f<span class="w" id="mwtw"> </span><span class="m" id="mwuA">3</span><span class="w" id="mwuQ"> </span>foo <span class="go" id="mwug">foo:bar:baz:qux:quux</span> <span class="go" id="mwuw">one:two:three:four:five:six:seven</span> <span class="go" id="mwvA">alpha:beta:gamma:delta:epsilon:zeta:eta:theta:iota:kappa:lambda:mu</span> <span class="go" id="mwvQ">brown</span>

Because the space character is not found in the first three lines these entire lines are shown.

To separate two words having any delimiter:

<span id="mwwg"></span><span class="gp" id="mwww">$ </span><span class="nv" id="mwxA">line</span><span class="o" id="mwxQ">=</span>process.processid <span class="gp" id="mwxg">$ </span>cut<span class="w" id="mwxw"> </span>-d<span class="w" id="mwyA"> </span><span class="s2" id="mwyQ">"."</span><span class="w" id="mwyg"> </span>-f1<span class="w" id="mwyw"> </span><span class="o" id="mwzA"><<<</span><span class="w" id="mwzQ"> </span><span class="nv" id="mwzg">$line</span> <span class="go" id="mwzw">process</span> <span class="gp" id="mw0A">$ </span>cut<span class="w" id="mw0Q"> </span>-d<span class="w" id="mw0g"> </span><span class="s2" id="mw0w">"."</span><span class="w" id="mw1A"> </span>-f2<span class="w" id="mw1Q"> </span><span class="o" id="mw1g"><<<</span><span class="w" id="mw1w"> </span><span class="nv" id="mw2A">$line</span> <span class="go" id="mw2Q">processid</span>