ptx - Man Page

• Generate a permuted index where the first field of each line is an index reference: ptx [-r|--references] path/to/file
• Generate a permuted index with automatically generated index references: ptx [-A|--auto-reference] path/to/file
• Generate a permuted index with a fixed width: ptx [-w|--width] width_in_columns path/to/file
• Generate a permuted index with a list of filtered words: ptx [-o|--only-file] path/to/filter path/to/file
• Generate a permuted index with SYSV-style behaviors: ptx [-G|--traditional] path/to/file

tldr.sh

ptx [OPTION]... [INPUT]...   (without -G)
ptx -G [OPTION]... [INPUT [OUTPUT]]

Output a permuted index, including context, of the words in the input files.

With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

-A,  --auto-reference

output automatically generated references

-G,  --traditional

behave more like System V 'ptx'

-F,  --flag-truncation=STRING

use STRING for flagging line truncations. The default is '/'

-M,  --macro-name=STRING

macro name to use instead of 'xx'

-O,  --format=roff

generate output as roff directives

-R,  --right-side-refs

put references at right, not counted in -w

-S,  --sentence-regexp=REGEXP

for end of lines or end of sentences

-T, --format=tex

generate output as TeX directives

-W,  --word-regexp=REGEXP

use REGEXP to match each keyword

-b,  --break-file=FILE

word break characters in this FILE

-f,  --ignore-case

fold lower case to upper case for sorting

-g,  --gap-size=NUMBER

gap size in columns between output fields

-i,  --ignore-file=FILE

read ignore word list from FILE

-o,  --only-file=FILE

read only word list from this FILE

-r,  --references

first field of each line is a reference

-t, --typeset-mode               - not implemented -

-w,  --width=NUMBER

output width in columns, reference excluded

--help

display this help and exit

--version

output version information and exit

Written by F. Pinard.

Report bugs to: bug-coreutils@gnu.org
GNU coreutils home page: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>
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Copyright © 2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://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.

Full documentation <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/ptx>
or available locally via: info '(coreutils) ptx invocation'

groff_tmac(5).