Merge lines of files, write to standard output lines consisting of sequentially corresponding lines of each given file, separated by a TAB character.
Syntax
paste [options]... [file]...
Options
-s
--serial
Paste the lines of one file at a time rather than one line from each file.
-d DELIM-LIST
--delimiters DELIM-LIST
Consecutively use the characters in DELIM-LIST instead of TAB to
separate merged lines.
When DELIM-LIST is exhausted, start again at its beginning.
The following special characters can also be used in DELIM-LIST:
\n newline character
\t tab character
\\ backslash character
\0 Empty string (not a null character).
Any other character preceded by a backslash is equivalent to the character itself.
Standard input is used for a file name of - or if no input files are given.
Combines the lines from two files:
$ paste file1.txt file2.txt > result.txt
List the files in the current directory in three columns:
$ ls | paste - - -
Combine pairs of lines from a file into single lines:
$ paste -s -d '\t\n' myfile
Number the lines in a file, similar to nl:
$ sed = myfile | paste -s -d '\t\n' - -
Create a colon-separated list of directories named bin, suitable for use in the PATH environment variable:
$ find / -name bin -type d | paste -s -d : -
“The secret to success is to offend the greatest number of people” ~ George Bernard Shaw
csplit - Split a file into context-determined pieces.
cut - Divide a file into several parts.
fold - Wrap input lines to fit in specified width.
fmt - Reformat paragraph text.
join - Join lines on a common field.
split - Split a file into fixed-size pieces.
tail - Output the last part of files.