JOT(1)                     OpenBSD Reference Manual                     JOT(1)

NAME
     jot - print sequential or random data

SYNOPSIS
     jot [-cnr] [-b word] [-w word] [-s string] [-p precision] [reps [begin
         [end [s]]]]

DESCRIPTION
     jot is used to print out increasing, decreasing, random, or redundant da-
     ta, usually numbers, one per line.

     The options are as follows:

     -r      Generate random data instead of sequential data, the default.

     -b word
             Just print word repetitively.

     -w word
             Print word with the generated data appended to it.  Octal, hex-
             adecimal, exponential, ASCII, zero-padded, and right-adjusted
             representations are possible by using the appropriate printf(3)
             conversion specification inside word, in which case the data is
             inserted rather than appended.

     -c      This is an abbreviation for -w %c.

     -s string
             Print data separated by string. Normally, newlines separate data.

     -n      Do not print the final newline normally appended to the output.

     -p precision
             Print only as many digits or characters of the data as indicated
             by the integer precision. In the absence of -p, the precision is
             the greater of the numbers begin and end. The -p option is over-
             ridden by whatever appears in a printf(3) conversion following
             -w.

     The last four arguments indicate, respectively, the number of data, the
     lower bound, the upper bound, and the step size or, for random data, the
     seed.  While at least one of them must appear, any of the other three may
     be omitted, and will be considered as such if given as `-'. Any three of
     these arguments determines the fourth.  If four are specified and the
     given and computed values of reps conflict, the lower value is used.  If
     fewer than three are specified, defaults are assigned left to right, ex-
     cept for s, which assumes its default unless both begin and end are giv-
     en.

     Defaults for the four arguments are, respectively, 100, 1, 100, and 1,
     except that when random data are requested, s defaults to a seed depend-
     ing upon the time of day.  reps is expected to be an unsigned integer,
     and if given as zero is taken to be infinite.  begin and end may be given
     as real numbers or as characters representing the corresponding value in
     ASCII.  The last argument must be a real number.

     Random numbers are obtained through random(3). The name jot derives in
     part from iota, a function in APL.

EXAMPLES
     The command

           jot 21 -1 1.00

     prints 21 evenly spaced numbers increasing from -1 to 1.  The ASCII char-
     acter set is generated with

           jot -c 128 0

     and the strings xaa through xaz with

           jot -w xa%c 26 a

     while 20 random 8-letter strings are produced with

           jot -r -c 160 a z | rs -g 0 8

     Infinitely many yes(1)'s may be obtained through

           jot -b yes 0

     and thirty ed(1) substitution commands applying to lines 2, 7, 12, etc.
     is the result of

           jot -w %ds/old/new/ 30 2 - 5

     The stuttering sequence 9, 9, 8, 8, 7, etc. can be produced by suitable
     choice of precision and step size, as in

           jot 0 9 - -.5

     and a file containing exactly 1024 bytes is created with

           jot -b x 512 > block

     Finally, to set tabs four spaces apart starting from column 10 and ending
     in column 132, use

           expand -`jot -s, - 10 132 4`

     and to print all lines 80 characters or longer,

           grep `jot -s "" -b. 80`

SEE ALSO
     ed(1), expand(1), rs(1), yes(1), printf(3), random(3),

OpenBSD 2.9                      June 6, 1993                                2
