Synopsis


cols [options] [file]

Options

-h,--help	print this help and exit
-H,--Help	print full documentation via less and exit
-V,--version	print version and exit
-a,--across	print row by row; default: column by column
-c,--columns=X	print in X columns; the default is to print as
	many columns as fit in the width of the window
-s,--squeeze	remove vertical white until the minimum separation between
	columns is the separator string defined by the `--sep` option
-w,--width=X	pretend the window width to be X characters
--sep=X	separate columns with the string X; default: one space
--pre=X	prefix each line with the string X
--suf=X	add the string X as a suffix to each line
-[1-9]	-1, -2, ... -9 is equivalent to -c 1, -c 2, ... -c 9

Description

cols reads words, one word per line, from standard input or from an optional file and prints them, in as many columns as are available in the current window width or, if the --width option was used, the width set by that option.

The words are written column by column:

   $ seq  13|cols --width=20
   1  3  5  7  9  11 13
   2  4  6  8  10 12

With the --across option, cols writes the words row by row:

   $ seq  13|cols --width=20 --across
   1  2  3  4  5  6  7 
   8  9  10 11 12 13

The number of columns can be explicitly set with the --columns option:

   $ seq 5 10 133 |cols --columns=4
   5   45  85  125
   15  55  95     
   25  65  105    
   35  75  115

The excessive whitespace can be cut out with the --squeeze option:

   $ seq 5 10 153 |cols -4s
   5  45 85  125
   15 55 95  135
   25 65 105 145
   35 75 115

The --sep, --pre, and --suf can, for example, be used to create the contents of a LaTeX table. This one is prefixed with '%␣' for a .dtx file:

   $ ls / | cols --pre='% ' --sep=' & ' --suf='\\\\'
   % bin            & initrd.img.old & opt            & usb1          \\
   % boot           & lib            & proc           & usb2          \\
   % cdrom          & lib32          & root           & usr           \\
   % cj             & lib64          & run            & var           \\
   % dev            & local          & sbin           & vmlinuz       \\
   % etc            & lost+found     & selinux        & vmlinuz.old   \\
   % fotos          & media          & srv            & wd            \\
   % ftp            & mnt            & store          & www           \\
   % home           & music          & sys            &               \\
   % initrd.img     & nrc            & tmp            &               \\

The width of each column is fixed to the width of the widest column. The --squeeze option removes the excess white space:

   $ ls / | cols --pre='% ' --sep=' & ' --suf='\\\\' --squeeze
   % bin        & initrd.img.old & opt     & usb1       \\
   % boot       & lib            & proc    & usb2       \\
   % cdrom      & lib32          & root    & usr        \\
   % cj         & lib64          & run     & var        \\
   % dev        & local          & sbin    & vmlinuz    \\
   % etc        & lost+found     & selinux & vmlinuz.old\\
   % fotos      & media          & srv     & wd         \\
   % ftp        & mnt            & store   & www        \\
   % home       & music          & sys     &            \\
   % initrd.img & nrc            & tmp     &            \\

This gives room for one or two extra columns, by using the --columns=6 option; this can be shortened to -6, and we can even include the shorthand for --squeeze:

   $ ls / | cols --pre='% ' --sep=' & ' --suf='\\\\' -s6
   % bin   & ftp            & local      & proc    & sys     & vmlinuz.old\\
   % boot  & home           & lost+found & root    & tmp     & wd         \\
   % cdrom & initrd.img     & media      & run     & usb1    & www        \\
   % cj    & initrd.img.old & mnt        & sbin    & usb2    &            \\
   % dev   & lib            & music      & selinux & usr     &            \\
   % etc   & lib32          & nrc        & srv     & var     &            \\
   % fotos & lib64          & opt        & store   & vmlinuz &            \\

Author

Wybo Dekker

Copyright

Released under the GNU General Public License

Functions used:

handle_options

synopsis:	handle_options "$@"
description:	handle the options.
globals used:	Myname Version
globals set:	args squeeze across sep pre suf cols
returns:	the number of remaning arguments