cut (extract columns) in Linux CLI - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the cut command do in Linux?

The cut command extracts sections from each line of input, usually columns or fields, based on delimiters or character positions.

beginner

How do you extract the first 5 characters of each line using cut?

Use cut -c 1-5 filename to get characters 1 through 5 from each line of the file.

beginner

What option do you use with cut to specify a delimiter other than the default tab?

Use -d followed by the delimiter character, for example cut -d ',' -f 2 file.csv to extract the second field separated by commas.

beginner

How do you extract the 2nd and 4th fields from a comma-separated file using cut?

Use cut -d ',' -f 2,4 filename to get the 2nd and 4th fields separated by commas.

beginner

What happens if you use cut -f 1-3 without specifying a delimiter?

By default, cut uses the tab character as the delimiter. So it extracts fields 1 to 3 separated by tabs.

Which cut option extracts characters by position?

A -d

B -f

C -c

D -s

The -c option extracts characters by position.

How do you specify a comma as the delimiter in cut?

A -d ,

B -c ,

C -f ,

D -s ,

Use -d , to specify a comma delimiter.

What does cut -f 2-4 do by default?

A Extracts characters 2 to 4

B Extracts fields 2 to 4 separated by tabs

C Extracts fields 2 to 4 separated by commas

D Extracts lines 2 to 4

By default, cut uses tab as delimiter and extracts fields 2 to 4.

Which command extracts the first 3 characters of each line?

A cut -s 1-3

B cut -f 1-3

C cut -d 1-3

D cut -c 1-3

cut -c 1-3 extracts characters 1 to 3.

What does the -s option do in cut?

A Suppress lines without delimiter

B Select specific fields

C Specify delimiter

D Extract characters

The -s option suppresses lines that do not contain the delimiter.

Explain how to use cut to extract specific fields from a comma-separated file.

Think about how to tell cut what separates the fields and which fields to get.

Describe the difference between extracting characters and extracting fields with cut.

Consider what you want to cut: fixed positions or separated parts.