nl - number lines of files

SYNOPSIS

       nl  [-h  header-style]  [-b  body-style] [-f footer-style]
       [-p] [-d cc] [-v start-number] [-i increment]  [-l  lines]
       [-s  line-separator]  [-w  line-no-width]  [-n {ln,rn,rz}]
       [--header-numbering=style]        [--body-numbering=style]
       [--footer-numbering=style]  [--first-page=number] [--page-
       increment=number]      [--no-renumber]      [--join-blank-
       lines=number]    [--number-separator=string]    [--number-
       width=number]   [--number-format={ln,rn,rz}]   [--section-
       delimiter=cc] [--help] [--version] [file...]

DESCRIPTION

       This  manual  page  documents  the  GNU version of nl.  nl
       copies each given file, or the standard input if none  are
       given  or  when a file named `-' is given, to the standard
       output, with line numbers added to  some  or  all  of  the
       lines.

       nl considers its input to be composed of logical pages; by
       default, the line number is reset to 1 at the top of  each
       logical  page.  nl treats all of the input files as a sin-
       gle document; it does not reset line  numbers  or  logical
       pages between files.

       A  logical  page consists of three sections: header, body,
       and footer.  Any of the sections can be empty.   Each  can
       be numbered in a different style from the others.

       The  beginnings of the sections of logical pages are indi-
       cated in the input  file  by  a  line  containing  nothing
       except one of the delimiter strings shown below:


       \:\:\: start of header
       \:\: start of body
       \: start of footer

       The  two  characters from which these strings are made can
       be changed with an option (see below), but the pattern and
       length of each string cannot be changed.

       The  section  delimiter  strings  are replaced by an empty
       line on output.  Any text that comes before the first sec-
       tion  delimiter  string in the input file is considered to
       be part of a body section, so a file that does not contain
       any  section delimiter strings is considered to consist of
       a single body section.

   OPTIONS
       -h, --header-numbering=style
              See --footer-numbering.

       -f, --footer-numbering=style
              Select the numbering style for lines in the  footer
              section  of  each logical page.  When a line is not
              numbered, the current line  number  is  not  incre-
              mented,  but the line number separator character is
              still prepended to the line.  The styles are:

              a      number all lines

              t      number  only  nonempty  lines  (default  for
                     body)

              n      number  no  lines  (default  for  header and
                     footer)

              pregexp
                     number only lines that contain a  match  for
                     regexp

       -p, --no-renumber
              Do not reset the line number at the start of a log-
              ical page.

       -v, --first-page=number
              Set the initial line number on each logical page to
              number (default 1).

       -i, --page-increment=number
              Increment line numbers by number (default 1).

       -l, --join-blank-lines=number
              Consider number (default 1) consecutive empty lines
              to be one logical line for numbering, and only num-
              ber the last one.  Where fewer than number consecu-
              tive empty lines occur, do  not  number  them.   An
              empty  line is one that contains no characters, not
              even spaces or tabs.

       -s, --number-separator=string
              Separate the line number from the text line in  the
              output with string (default is a TAB character).

       -w, --number-width=number
              Use number characters for line numbers (default 6).

       -n, --number-format={ln,rn,rz}
              Select the line numbering format:

              ln     left justified, no leading zeros


       -d, --section-delimiter=cc
              Set the two delimiter characters that indicate  the
              beginnings of logical page sections; if only one is
              given, the second remains ':'.  To enter  '\',  use
              '\\'.

       --help Print  a  usage message and exit with a status code
              indicating success.

       --version
              Print version information on standard  output  then
              exit.