


EXPAND(1L)                                             EXPAND(1L)


NNAAMMEE
       expand - convert tabs to spaces

SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
       eexxppaanndd  [-tab1[,tab2[,...]]]  [-t  tab1[,tab2[,...]]] [-i]
       [--tabs=tab1[,tab2[,...]]] [--initial] [file...]

DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
       This manual page documents  the  GNU  version  of  eexxppaanndd.
       eexxppaanndd  writes  the  contents  of  each given file, or the
       standard input if none are given or when a file named  `-'
       is given, to the standard output, with tab characters con-
       verted to the appropriate number of spaces.   By  default,
       eexxppaanndd   converts   all  tabs  to  spaces.   It  preserves
       backspace characters in the  output;  they  decrement  the
       column  count for tab calculations.  The default action is
       equivalent to -8 (set tabs every 8 columns).

   OOPPTTIIOONNSS
       _-_, _-_t_, _-_-_t_a_b_s _t_a_b_1_[_,_t_a_b_2_[_,_._._._]_]
              If only one tab stop is given, set  the  tabs  _t_a_b_1
              spaces  apart instead of the default 8.  Otherwise,
              set the tabs at columns _t_a_b_1, _t_a_b_2, etc.  (numbered
              from  0)  and  replace any tabs beyond the tabstops
              given with single  spaces.   If  the  tabstops  are
              specified with the _-_t or _-_-_t_a_b_s option, they can be
              separated by blanks as well as by commas.

       _-_i_, _-_-_i_n_i_t_i_a_l
              Only convert initial tabs (those that  precede  all
              non  space  or  tab  characters)  on  each  line to
              spaces.

       The long-named options can be introduced with `+' as  well
       as  `--', for compatibility with previous releases.  Even-
       tually support for `+' will  be  removed,  because  it  is
       incompatible with the POSIX.2 standard.




















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