---
name: "ndselect"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "numdiff"
version: "5.9.0-2"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ndselect"
---

# ndselect(1)

select lines and fields for numdiff

## NAME

ndselect - select lines and fields for numdiff

## DESCRIPTION

Usage: ndselect **-h**\|--help\|-v\|--version   or

ndselect \[-b N\]\[-e N\]\[-s N\]\[-F N\]\[-L N\]\[-I N\]\[-S IFS\]\[-D DELIMS\]\[-O OSEP\]\[-x\]\[-l PATH\]\[-o PATH\] \[FILE\]

Print to standard output a subset of lines and fields from a given file.

The argument after the options is the name of the file to read from. The complete path of the file should be given, a directory name is not accepted. If no input file is specified, the program reads from the standard input.

Exit status: 0 in case of normal termination, **-1** (255) in case of error

**-b**, **--beginning**, **--start**=*N*

-

  Set to N the number of the first line to print (The default behavior is to start with line number 1)

**-e**, **--end**=*N*

-

  Set to N the number of the last line that can be printed (The default behavior is to arrive till to the end of the file)

**-s**, **--step**=*N*

-

  Set to N the increment to use when selecting the lines to print (The default value for the increment is 1)

**-F**, **--first-field**=*N*

-

  Set to N the number of the first field to print (The default behavior is to start with field number 1)

**-L**, **--last-field**=*N*

-

  Set to N the number of the last field that can be printed (The default behavior is to arrive till to the end of every line)

**-I**, **--increment**=*N*

-

  Set to N the increment to use when selecting the fields to print (The default value for the increment is 1)

**-S**, **--separators**=*IFS*

-

  Specify the set of characters to use as delimiters while splitting the input lines into fields (The default set of delimiters is space, tab and newline)

**-D**, **--delimiters**=*DELIMS*

-

  Specify the set of strings to use as delimiters while splitting the input lines into fields (The default set of delimiters is space, tab and newline)

**-O**, **--output-separator**=*OSEP*

-

  Specify the string to use as separator while writing the selected fields to the standard output (The default behavior consists in reusing

-

  the delimiters found in the input lines)

**-x**, **--omit-empty-lines**

-

  Do not print empty lines

**-l**, **--warnings-to**=*PATH*

-

  Redirect warning and error messages from stderr to the indicated file

**-o**, **--output**=*PATH*

-

  Redirect output from stdout to the indicated file

**-h**, **--help**

-

  Show this help message

**-v**, **--version**

-

  Show version number, Copyright, Distribution Terms and NO-Warranty

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017  Ivano Primi \<ivprimi@libero.it\> License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later, see \<http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html\>.\
 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 **ndselect** is maintained as a Texinfo manual.  If the **info** and **ndselect** programs are properly installed at your site, the command

-

  **info numdiff**

should give you access to the complete manual.