SPLIT(1)

NAME
split - split a file into pieces

SYNOPSIS
split [-a suffix_length]
[ -b byte_count[km] -l line_count -p pattern] [file [name]]

DESCRIPTION
The split utility reads the given file, or standard input if no file is specified, and breaks it up into files of 1000 lines each. file itself is not altered.

The options are as follows:

-a suffix_length
    Use suffix_length letters to form the suffix of the file name (see below). The default suffix length is 2.

    -b byte_count [km] Create files byte_count bytes in length. If ‘k’ is appended to the number, the file is split into byte_count kilobyte pieces. If ‘m’ is appended to the number, the file is split into byte_count megabyte pieces.

-l line_count
    Create files line_count lines in length.

-p pattern
    The file is split whenever an input line matches pattern, which is interpreted as an extended regular expression. The matching line will be the first line of the next output file. This option is incompatible with the -b and -l options.

If name is specified, it is used as a prefix for the names of the files into which the file is split. In this case, each file into which the file is split is named by the prefix followed by a lexically ordered suffix using suffix_length characters in the range “a-z”.

If the name argument is not specified, the file is split into lexically ordered files named with the prefixes ‘x’, ‘y’, and ‘z’.

EXIT STATUS

SEE ALSO
csplit(1), re_format(7)

STANDARDS
The split utility is compliant with the p1003.1-2008 specification.

The flag [-p] is an extension to that specification.

The use of ‘y’ and ‘z’ prefixes (in addition to the standard ‘x’) in the absence of a name parameter is an OpenBSD extension.

HISTORY
A split command appeared in AT&T UNIX.

BUGS
The maximum line length for matching patterns is 65536.