NAME

fmt − simple text formatter

SYNOPSIS

fmt [ -width ] [ -c ] [ filename ...  ]

DESCRIPTION

Fmt is a simple text formatter which reads the concatenation of input files (or standard input if none are given) and produces on standard output a version of its input with lines as long as possible without execeeding width characters.  Width defaults to 72.  Blank lines and interword spacing is preserved in the output. 

OPTIONS

−width
Fill output lines to within width columns. 

−cCrown margin mode − the first two lines following an empty line retain their indention.  Subsequent non-blank lines are aligned with the second. 

In normal mode, the spacing at the beginning of the input lines is preserved in the output.  Lines retain their separation if the input indenting increases, but may be concatenated otherwise. 

Fmt is meant to format mail messages prior to sending, but may also be useful for other simple tasks.  For instance, in the vi text editor, the command:

!}fmt

reformats a paragraph, making the lines reasonably even length. 

SEE ALSO

nroff(1), mail(1)

BUGS

Fmt was designed to be simple and fast − for more complex operations, the standard text processors are likely to be more appropriate. 

Sun Release 2.0  —  Last change: 1 February 1985