{
"content": [
{
"type": "text",
"text": "# fmt (man)\n\n## NAME\n\nfmt - simple optimal text formatter\n\n## SYNOPSIS\n\nfmt [-WIDTH] [OPTION]... [FILE]...\n\n## DESCRIPTION\n\nReformat each paragraph in the FILE(s), writing to standard output. The option -WIDTH is an\nabbreviated form of --width=DIGITS.\n\n## TLDR\n\n> Reformat a text file by joining its paragraphs and limiting the line width to a number of characters (75 by default).\n\n- Reformat a file:\n `fmt {{path/to/file}}`\n- Reformat a file producing output lines of (at most) `n` characters:\n `fmt {{-w|--width}} {{n}} {{path/to/file}}`\n- Reformat a file without joining lines shorter than the given width together:\n `fmt {{-s|--split-only}} {{path/to/file}}`\n- Reformat a file with uniform spacing (1 space between words and 2 spaces between paragraphs):\n `fmt {{-u|--uniform-spacing}} {{path/to/file}}`\n\n*Source: tldr-pages*\n\n## Sections\n\n- **NAME**\n- **SYNOPSIS**\n- **DESCRIPTION** (8 subsections)\n- **AUTHOR**\n- **REPORTING BUGS**\n- **COPYRIGHT**\n- **SEE ALSO**\n\nUse structuredContent.sections for detailed options, examples, and full documentation.\n"
}
],
"structuredContent": {
"command": "fmt",
"section": "",
"mode": "man",
"summary": "fmt - simple optimal text formatter",
"synopsis": "fmt [-WIDTH] [OPTION]... [FILE]...",
"tldr_summary": "Reformat a text file by joining its paragraphs and limiting the line width to a number of characters (75 by default).",
"tldr_examples": [
{
"description": "Reformat a file",
"command": "fmt {{path/to/file}}"
},
{
"description": "Reformat a file producing output lines of (at most) `n` characters",
"command": "fmt {{-w|--width}} {{n}} {{path/to/file}}"
},
{
"description": "Reformat a file without joining lines shorter than the given width together",
"command": "fmt {{-s|--split-only}} {{path/to/file}}"
},
{
"description": "Reformat a file with uniform spacing (1 space between words and 2 spaces between paragraphs)",
"command": "fmt {{-u|--uniform-spacing}} {{path/to/file}}"
}
],
"tldr_source": "official",
"flags": [
{
"flag": "-c",
"long": "--crown-margin",
"arg": null,
"description": "preserve indentation of first two lines"
},
{
"flag": "-p",
"long": "--prefix",
"arg": null,
"description": "reformat only lines beginning with STRING, reattaching the prefix to reformatted lines"
},
{
"flag": "-s",
"long": "--split-only",
"arg": null,
"description": "split long lines, but do not refill"
},
{
"flag": "-t",
"long": "--tagged-paragraph",
"arg": null,
"description": "indentation of first line different from second"
},
{
"flag": "-u",
"long": "--uniform-spacing",
"arg": null,
"description": "one space between words, two after sentences"
},
{
"flag": "-w",
"long": "--width",
"arg": null,
"description": "maximum line width (default of 75 columns)"
},
{
"flag": "-g",
"long": "--goal",
"arg": null,
"description": "goal width (default of 93% of width) --help display this help and exit"
},
{
"flag": "",
"long": "--version",
"arg": null,
"description": "output version information and exit"
}
],
"examples": [],
"see_also": [],
"section_outline": [
{
"name": "NAME",
"lines": 2,
"subsections": []
},
{
"name": "SYNOPSIS",
"lines": 2,
"subsections": []
},
{
"name": "DESCRIPTION",
"lines": 7,
"subsections": [
{
"name": "-c --crown-margin",
"lines": 2,
"flag": "-c",
"long": "--crown-margin"
},
{
"name": "-p --prefix",
"lines": 2,
"flag": "-p",
"long": "--prefix"
},
{
"name": "-s --split-only",
"lines": 2,
"flag": "-s",
"long": "--split-only"
},
{
"name": "-t --tagged-paragraph",
"lines": 2,
"flag": "-t",
"long": "--tagged-paragraph"
},
{
"name": "-u --uniform-spacing",
"lines": 2,
"flag": "-u",
"long": "--uniform-spacing"
},
{
"name": "-w --width",
"lines": 2,
"flag": "-w",
"long": "--width"
},
{
"name": "-g --goal",
"lines": 4,
"flag": "-g",
"long": "--goal"
},
{
"name": "--version",
"lines": 2,
"long": "--version"
}
]
},
{
"name": "AUTHOR",
"lines": 2,
"subsections": []
},
{
"name": "REPORTING BUGS",
"lines": 3,
"subsections": []
},
{
"name": "COPYRIGHT",
"lines": 5,
"subsections": []
},
{
"name": "SEE ALSO",
"lines": 6,
"subsections": []
}
],
"sections": {
"NAME": {
"content": "fmt - simple optimal text formatter\n",
"subsections": []
},
"SYNOPSIS": {
"content": "fmt [-WIDTH] [OPTION]... [FILE]...\n",
"subsections": []
},
"DESCRIPTION": {
"content": "Reformat each paragraph in the FILE(s), writing to standard output. The option -WIDTH is an\nabbreviated form of --width=DIGITS.\n\nWith no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.\n\nMandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.\n",
"subsections": [
{
"name": "-c --crown-margin",
"content": "preserve indentation of first two lines\n",
"flag": "-c",
"long": "--crown-margin"
},
{
"name": "-p --prefix",
"content": "reformat only lines beginning with STRING, reattaching the prefix to reformatted lines\n",
"flag": "-p",
"long": "--prefix"
},
{
"name": "-s --split-only",
"content": "split long lines, but do not refill\n",
"flag": "-s",
"long": "--split-only"
},
{
"name": "-t --tagged-paragraph",
"content": "indentation of first line different from second\n",
"flag": "-t",
"long": "--tagged-paragraph"
},
{
"name": "-u --uniform-spacing",
"content": "one space between words, two after sentences\n",
"flag": "-u",
"long": "--uniform-spacing"
},
{
"name": "-w --width",
"content": "maximum line width (default of 75 columns)\n",
"flag": "-w",
"long": "--width"
},
{
"name": "-g --goal",
"content": "goal width (default of 93% of width)\n\n--help display this help and exit\n",
"flag": "-g",
"long": "--goal"
},
{
"name": "--version",
"content": "output version information and exit\n",
"long": "--version"
}
]
},
"AUTHOR": {
"content": "Written by Ross Paterson.\n",
"subsections": []
},
"REPORTING BUGS": {
"content": "GNU coreutils online help: \nReport any translation bugs to \n",
"subsections": []
},
"COPYRIGHT": {
"content": "Copyright © 2020 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later\n.\nThis is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to\nthe extent permitted by law.\n",
"subsections": []
},
"SEE ALSO": {
"content": "Full documentation \nor available locally via: info '(coreutils) fmt invocation'\n\n\n\nGNU coreutils 8.32 January 2026 FMT(1)",
"subsections": []
}
}
}
}