UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hi all! I'm trying to create text file with printed 30 line numbers. I tried :set number but it only displays line numbers - not printing them as a text. Anyone done this before? I'd appreciate any help.

Hi.

Command seq is often used to generate a sequence. Command cat often allows -n to number lines, also command nl ... cheers, drl

it worked, many thanks!
seq 1 30 > filename

Or even:

Code:

seq 30

with zsh, bash and ksh93 without external commands:

Code:

printf "%d\n" {1..30}

Hi.
Glad to hear it worked.

I often suggest that people use:

Code:

man -k keyword

so in this instance that would be:

Code:

man -k sequence

which returns 30 hits on my system. Filtering to get items in chapter 1, which is the command section:

Code:

man -k sequence | grep 1

I get about 6 hits, among which is:

Code:

seq (1)              - print a sequence of numbers

The art of this procedure is that you need to be able to think of synonyms for words likely to be used by the programmer in the description -- not always an easy task, hence the "art". For example, using a word similar to sequence:

Code:

man -k series

is not productive.

Learning how to use the man pages is the single best skill you can acquire for using Unix-like systems because it makes you independent; you need no longer rely on the unpredictable response time from forums, your colleagues, etc. If you use forums, you can then use them for guidance in difficult problems, not just "what command should I use to obtain thus-and-such a result". We all need to start someplace, but it's good to learn best practices as quickly as we can.

If there is a man intro on your system, you probably will find it to be useful.

Just as you looked over the man page for seq, I suggest you look at pages whenever anyone makes a suggestion. Too often the responders (including me) provide too much, not leaving any learning opportunities for the other readers, particularly for students.

For solutions such as radoulov suggested for the shells, you need to become familiar with the shells. Reading the man pages for the shells can be tedious because they are quite lengthy -- zsh has more than 10 sub-pages -- but they are well worth your time if you don't have a book or two on shells.

With bash3, there is a builtin command help:

Code:

$ help printf
printf: printf format [arguments]
    printf formats and prints ARGUMENTS under control ...

Best wishes ... cheers, drl

Code:

Title: UNIX(R) Shells by Example
Author: Ellie Quigley
Edition: 4th
Date: 2004
Publisher: Prentice-Hall
ISBN: 013147572X
Pages: 1200
Categories: sh, csh, awk, scripting, shell, programming
Comments: 4.5 stars, 45 reviews Amazon (2007.07)