RECSEL(1)

📦
version 1.9 · 4 versions
, in alpine 3.24, debian bookworm, fedora 43, fedora 44, nixos 26.05, nixpkgs unstable, opensuse-leap 16.0

✨ NAME ✨

recsel — bestie, it prints records out of a recfile 💅 that's literally it, that's the whole job, and it does it flawlessly. It lives in section 1 of the manual, with the rest of the user commands.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

recsel [OPTION]... [-t TYPE] [-j FIELD] [-n INDEXES | -e RECORD_EXPR |
-q STR | -m NUM] [-c | (-p|-P) FIELD_EXPR] [FILE]...

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Okay so: select and print rec data. That's the vibe. You point it at records, it gives you the ones you asked for. Periodt. ✨

Here's the main options buffet, no notes:

  • -d, --include-descriptors — prints the record descriptors too, right alongside the matched records. Not just the records, the whole glow-up 💖
  • -C, --collapse — does NOT section the result into records with newlines. Everything just… runs together, like a group chat with no replies 🫶
  • -S, --sort=FIELD,... — sorts the output by the fields you name. Iconic ordering behaviour 👑
  • -G, --group-by=FIELD,... — groups records by the fields you name. Friendship circles but for records 🌈
  • -U, --uniq — removes duplicated fields from the output records. Duplicates? Not on our watch 💀
  • -s, --password=STR — decrypts confidential fields with the password you hand it. Secret little fields, unlocked 🔐
  • --help — prints a help message and dips out.
  • --version — shows the version and dips out.

💜 Record selection options:

This is where you pick which records get the spotlight:

  • -i, --case-insensitive — makes strings case-insensitive in selection expressions. BESTIE and bestie are the same girl now 🎀
  • -t, --type=TYPE — only messes with records of the type you specify. Stay in your lane (affectionately).
  • -e, --expression=RECORD_EXPR — the selection expression. This is the main character option ngl.
  • -q, --quick=STR — selects records that have fields containing a string. Quick, low-effort, gets results ✨
  • -n, --number=NUM,... — selects specific records by position, and yes, with ranges. Like picking people out of a lineup by number 📋
  • -m, --random=NUM — selects a given number of random records. Chaos mode, but make it a fixed number 🎲
  • -j, --join=FIELD — performs an inner join using the specified field. Matchmaking, but for records 💞

💅 Output options:

How the results present themselves. Serve, bestie:

  • -p, --print=FIELDS — a comma-separated list of fields to print for each matching record.
  • -P, --print-values=FIELDS — same as -p, except it prints only the values of the selected fields. Just the vibes, none of the labels.
  • -R, --print-row=FIELDS — same as -P, but separates the values with spaces instead of newlines. One row, space-separated, tidy ✨
  • -c, --count — prints a count of the matching records instead of the records themselves. Just the number, no drama 🔢

🌟 Special options:

  • --print-sexps — prints the data in sexps instead of rec format. Different format, same energy 🧚

🫶 AUTHOR 🫶

Written by Jose E. Marchesi. King behaviour, honestly 👑

😭 REPORTING BUGS 😭

Found something cursed? Tell the devs:

Copyright © 2010-2020 Jose E. Marchesi. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html.

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.

There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Fr fr, zero warranty, do not come for them 💀

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

The full documentation for recsel is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and recsel programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info recutils

should give you access to the complete manual. Go read it, it's giving lore 📚✨

And that's the whole page, bestie — this was recsel 1.9, dated April 2022. Slay, stay safe, and always sort your fields 🎀💅

📦 where this page comes from