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SPLIT(1)                    General Commands Manual                   SPLIT(1)

NAME
     split - split a file into pieces

SYNOPSIS
     split [-a suffix_length] [-b byte_count[k|m] | -l line_count |
           -n chunk_count] [file [name]]

DESCRIPTION
     The split utility reads the given file and breaks it up into files of
     1000 lines each.  If file is a single dash or absent, split reads from
     the standard input.  file itself is not altered.

     The options are as follows:

     -a      Use suffix_length letters to form the suffix of the file name.

     -b      Create smaller 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      Create smaller files line_count lines in length.

     -n      Split file into chunk_count smaller files.

     If additional arguments are specified, the first is used as the name of
     the input file which is to be split.  If a second additional argument 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 -a is not specified, two
     letters are used as the initial suffix.  If the output does not fit into
     the resulting number of files, then the suffix length is automatically
     extended as needed such that all output files continue to sort in lexical
     order.

     If the name argument is not specified, `x' is used.

STANDARDS
     The split utility conforms to IEEE Std 1003.1-2001 ("POSIX.1").

HISTORY
     A split command appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX.

     The -a option was introduced in NetBSD 2.0.  Before that, if name was not
     specified, split would vary the first letter of the filename to increase
     the number of possible output files.  The -a option makes this
     unnecessary.

NetBSD 10.99                   February 14, 2023                  NetBSD 10.99