NL(1) User Commands NL(1) NAME nl - number lines of files SYNOPSIS nl [OPTION]... [FILE]... DESCRIPTION Write each FILE to standard output, with line numbers added. With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input. Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too. -b, --body-numbering=STYLE use STYLE for numbering body lines -d, --section-delimiter=CC use CC for separating logical pages -f, --footer-numbering=STYLE use STYLE for numbering footer lines -h, --header-numbering=STYLE use STYLE for numbering header lines -i, --line-increment=NUMBER line number increment at each line -l, --join-blank-lines=NUMBER group of NUMBER empty lines counted as one -n, --number-format=FORMAT insert line numbers according to FORMAT -p, --no-renumber do not reset line numbers at logical pages -s, --number-separator=STRING add STRING after (possible) line number -v, --starting-line-number=NUMBER first line number on each logical page -w, --number-width=NUMBER use NUMBER columns for line numbers --help display this help and exit --version output version information and exit By default, selects -v1 -i1 -l1 -sTAB -w6 -nrn -hn -bt -fn. CC are two delimiter characters for separating logical pages, a missing second character implies :. Type \\ for \. STYLE is one of: a number all lines t number only nonempty lines n number no lines pBRE number only lines that contain a match for the basic regular expression, BRE FORMAT is one of: ln left justified, no leading zeros rn right justified, no leading zeros rz right justified, leading zeros AUTHOR Written by Scott Bartram and David MacKenzie. REPORTING BUGS Report nl bugs to bug-coreutils@gnu.org GNU coreutils home page: General help using GNU software: Report nl translation bugs to COPYRIGHT Copyright © 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later . This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. SEE ALSO The full documentation for nl is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and nl programs are properly installed at your site, the command info coreutils 'nl invocation' should give you access to the complete manual. GNU coreutils 8.12.197-032bb September 2011 NL(1)