GNU bug report logs - #12115
Please add tip about using tac to reverse a file byte-by-byte

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Package: coreutils;

Reported by: Reuben Thomas <rrt <at> sc3d.org>

Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2012 21:46:01 UTC

Severity: normal

Done: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>

Bug is archived. No further changes may be made.

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Message #20 received at 12115 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
To: Andreas Schwab <schwab <at> linux-m68k.org>
Cc: 12115 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Reuben Thomas <rrt <at> sc3d.org>
Subject: Re: bug#12115: Please add tip about using tac to reverse a file
	byte-by-byte
Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2012 10:42:00 +0200

Andreas Schwab wrote:
> Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net> writes:
>
>> (note that below there's the added advantage of not having to
>> double-quote to include $nl and hence not having to double-backslash)
>
> You can have that with the variable as well.

You're right.  We could write it like this:

    printf '\na\nb'|tac -rs '.\|'$nl

or even drop the quotes altogether:

    printf '\na\nb'|tac -rs .\\\|$nl

Golf is fun, but those seem less well suited as documentation examples.
This bug report was last modified 12 years and 115 days ago.

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