---
name: "jot"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "athena-jot"
version: "9.0-8+b1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "openbsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/athena-jot"
---

# jot(1)

print sequential or random data

Part of [athena-jot(1)](/athena-jot/1.md).

## NAME

jot - print sequential or random data

## SYNOPSIS

**jot \[** options **\] \[** reps **\[** begin **\[** end **\[** s **\] \] \] \]**

## DESCRIPTION

*Jot* is used to print out increasing, decreasing, random, or redundant data, usually numbers, one per line. The *options* are understood 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, hexadecimal, exponential, ASCII, zero padded, and right-adjusted representations are possible by using the appropriate [*printf*(3)](/printf/3.md) conversion specification inside *word*, in which case the data are 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 precisions of *begin* and *end*. The **-p** option is overridden by whatever appears in a [*printf*(3)](/printf/3.md) 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, except for *s*, which assumes its default unless both *begin* and *end* are given.

Defaults for the four arguments are, respectively, 100, 1, 100, and 1, except that when random data are requested, *s* defaults to a seed depending 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)](/random/3.md). 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 character 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*'s **may be obtained through**

-

  **jot -b yes 0**\

**and thirty** [*ed*(1)](/ed/1.md) **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)](/ed/1.md), [expand(1)](/expand/1.md), [rs(1)](/rs/1.md), [yes(1)](/yes/1.md), [printf(3)](/printf/3.md), [random(3)](/random/3.md), [expand(1)](/expand/1.md)**