UNEXPAND(1)

📦 version 0.12.0, in arch rolling

💅 UNEXPAND(1) — blank-to-tab bestie energy ✨

okay so this is a General Commands Manual page for UNEXPAND(1), and we’re folding the manual name in near the top instead of copying a boring header line. the vibe? convert blanks to tabs. no cap. 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

unexpand — convert blanks in each FILE to tabs, writing to standard output. With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input. 💖

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

unexpand [OPTION]... [FILE]...

that’s the lineup, bestie: unexpand, then OPTIONs, then FILEs. iconic. 🦋

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

Convert blanks in each FILE to tabs, writing to standard output. With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.

literally the whole plot: blanks go in, tabs come out, and standard output gets the final look. no FILE? or FILE is -? then it reads standard input. periodt. 💀

🔥 OPTIONS 🔥

  • -a, --all — convert all blanks, instead of just initial blanks. all blanks, not just the starter pack. 💅
  • -f, --first-only — convert only leading sequences of blanks (overrides -a). this one overrides -a, fr fr. 👑
  • -t, --tabs <N, LIST> — use comma separated LIST of tab positions or have tabs N characters apart instead of 8 (enables -a). yes bestie, it enables -a. 🌈
  • -U, --no-utf8 — interpret input file as 8-bit ASCII rather than UTF-8. 8-bit ASCII realness. 🎀
  • -h, --help — Print help. the icon. the moment. 💖
  • -V, --version — Print version. show me the numbers, bestie. ⭐

🎀 VERSION 🎀

v(uutils coreutils) 0.12.0 — that’s the version, and it’s slaying. 💜

🫶 cute little sign-off: source/version is v(uutils coreutils) 0.12.0, and this page is dated 2026-09-17. periodt. 💅
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