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split(1)
NAME
  split - Splits a file into pieces

SYNOPSIS
  Current syntax


  split [-l line_count] [-a suffix_length] [file | -] [prefix]

  split -b  n [k|m] [-a suffix_length] [file | -] [prefix]

  Obsolescent syntax


  split [-number] [-a suffix_length] [file | -] [prefix]

STANDARDS
  Interfaces documented on this reference page conform to industry standards
  as follows:

  split:  XCU5.0

  Refer to the standards(5) reference page for more information about
  industry standards and associated tags.

OPTIONS
  -a suffix_length
      Uses suffix_length letters to form the suffix portion of the file names
      of the split file.  If -a is not specified, the default suffix length
      is two letters.  If the sum of the prefix and the suffix arguments
      would create a file name exceeding NAME_MAX bytes, an error occurs.  In
      this case, split exits with a diagnostic message and no files are
      created.

  -b n
      Split a file into pieces n bytes in size.

  -b nk
      Split a file into pieces n kilobytes (1024 bytes) in size.

  -b nm
      Split a file into pieces n megabytes (1048576 bytes) in size.

  -l line_count
      Specifies the number of lines in each output file.  The line_count
      argument is an unsigned decimal integer.	The default value is 1000.
      If the input does not end with a newline character, the partial line is
      included in the last output file.

  -number
      Specifies the number of lines in each output file.  The default is 1000
      lines per output file.  If the input does not end with a newline
      character, the partial line is included in the last output file.
      (Obsolescent)


OPERANDS
  file
      The pathname of the file to be split.

      If you do not specify an input file, or if you specify -, the standard
      input is used.

DESCRIPTION
  The split command reads file and writes it in number-line pieces (default
  1000 lines) to a set of output files.

  The size of the output files can be modified by using the -b or -l options.
  Each output file is created with a unique suffix consisting of exactly
  suffix lowercase letters from the POSIX locale.  The letters of the suffix
  are used as if they were a base-26 digit system, with the first suffix to
  be created consisting of all a characters, the second with b replacing the
  last a etc., until a name of all zs is created.  By default, the names of
  the output files are x, followed by a two-character suffix from the
  character set as described above, starting with aa, ab, ac, etc., and
  continuing until the suffix zz, for a maximum of 676 files.

  The value of prefix cannot be longer than the value of NAME_MAX from
  <limits.h> minus two.

  If the number of files required is greater than the maximum allowed by the
  effective suffix length (such that the last allowable file would be larger
  than the requested size), split fails after creating the last possible file
  with a valid suffix.	The split command will not delete the files it
  created with valid suffixes.	If the file limit is not exceeded, the last
  file created contains the remainder of the input file and thus might be
  smaller than the requested size.

EXIT STATUS
  The following exit values are returned:

  0   Successful completion.

  >0  An error occurred.

EXAMPLES
   1.  To split a file into 1000-line segments, enter:
	    split book

       This splits book into 1000-line segments named xaa, xab, xac, and so
       forth.

   2.  To split a file into 50-line segments and specify the file name
       prefix, enter:
	    split -l50 book sect

       This splits book into 50-line segments named sectaa, sectab, sectac,
       and so forth.




ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
  The following environment variables affect the execution of split:

  LANG
      Provides a default value for the internationalization variables that
      are unset or null. If LANG is unset or null, the corresponding value
      from the default locale is used.	If any of the internationalization
      variables contain an invalid setting, the utility behaves as if none of
      the variables had been defined.

  LC_ALL
      If set to a non-empty string value, overrides the values of all the
      other internationalization variables.

  LC_CTYPE
      Determines the locale for the interpretation of sequences of bytes of
      text data as characters (for example, single-byte as opposed to
      multibyte characters in arguments and input files).

  LC_MESSAGES
      Determines the locale for the format and contents of diagnostic
      messages written to standard error.

  NLSPATH
      Determines the location of message catalogues for the processing of
      LC_MESSAGES.

SEE ALSO
  Commands:  bfs(1), csplit(1)

  Standards:  standards(5)

Index for Section 1

Alphabetical listing for S

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