Skip to main content
ubuntuask.com

Back to all posts

How to Read A Specific Column From A File In Linux?

Published on
4 min read
How to Read A Specific Column From A File In Linux? image

Best File Parsing Tools to Buy in January 2026

1 Amazon Basics File Folders with Tabs for Filing, 1/3-Cut Tab, Assorted Positions, 8.5x11 inches, Letter Size, Manila, Pack of 100

Amazon Basics File Folders with Tabs for Filing, 1/3-Cut Tab, Assorted Positions, 8.5x11 inches, Letter Size, Manila, Pack of 100

  • 100 FILE FOLDERS PERFECT FOR ORGANIZING 8.5X11 DOCUMENTS!

  • 1/3 CUT TABS IN VARIOUS POSITIONS FOR EASY LABELING AND ACCESS.

  • DURABLE 11-POINT STOCK EXPANDS UP TO 3/4 INCH WITHOUT BENDING.

BUY & SAVE
$14.39
Amazon Basics File Folders with Tabs for Filing, 1/3-Cut Tab, Assorted Positions, 8.5x11 inches, Letter Size, Manila, Pack of 100
2 File Folder Tabs, Selizo 100 Sets Hanging File Folder Labels 2" Tabs and Inserts for Hanging Files

File Folder Tabs, Selizo 100 Sets Hanging File Folder Labels 2" Tabs and Inserts for Hanging Files

  • 100 DURABLE TABS FOR LONG-LASTING ORGANIZATION AND EASY CUSTOMIZATION.

  • LARGE, CLEAR TABS ENSURE EASY LABELING AND QUICK FILE IDENTIFICATION.

  • STURDY DESIGN FITS SECURELY IN HANGING FOLDERS, ENHANCING EFFICIENCY.

BUY & SAVE
$6.99
File Folder Tabs, Selizo 100 Sets Hanging File Folder Labels 2" Tabs and Inserts for Hanging Files
3 File Folder Tabs, Paxcoo 50 Sets Hanging File Folder Tabs and Inserts, Plastic Tabs for Hanging Folders, Multicolor

File Folder Tabs, Paxcoo 50 Sets Hanging File Folder Tabs and Inserts, Plastic Tabs for Hanging Folders, Multicolor

  • ORGANIZE FILES EFFORTLESSLY WITH 50 COLORFUL TABS AND INSERTS.
  • CUSTOMIZE YOUR FOLDERS EASILY WITH USER-FRIENDLY BLANK INSERTS.
  • DURABLE DESIGN ENSURES CLEAR LABELING FOR QUICK FILE IDENTIFICATION.
BUY & SAVE
$6.99
File Folder Tabs, Paxcoo 50 Sets Hanging File Folder Tabs and Inserts, Plastic Tabs for Hanging Folders, Multicolor
4 Amazon Basics Manila File Folders with Fasteners for Organized Filing, Letter Size, Light Brown, 100-Pack

Amazon Basics Manila File Folders with Fasteners for Organized Filing, Letter Size, Light Brown, 100-Pack

  • KEEP PAPERS SECURE WITH DUAL FASTENERS FOR ULTIMATE ORGANIZATION.

  • EASY IDENTIFICATION WITH REINFORCED 1/3 CUT TAB DESIGN.

  • ECO-FRIENDLY CONSTRUCTION WITH 10% RECYCLED & POST-CONSUMER MATERIAL.

BUY & SAVE
$27.00
Amazon Basics Manila File Folders with Fasteners for Organized Filing, Letter Size, Light Brown, 100-Pack
5 Pendaflex 752 File Folders, Straight Cut, Top Tab, Letter, Manila (Box of 100), Natural

Pendaflex 752 File Folders, Straight Cut, Top Tab, Letter, Manila (Box of 100), Natural

  • IDEAL FOR ANY FILING SYSTEM WITH STANDARD LETTER SIZE FOLDERS.
  • ECO-FRIENDLY CHOICE: 100% RECYCLED WITH 60% POST-CONSUMER MATERIAL.
  • INCLUDES TABS AND INSERTS FOR EASY ORGANIZATION AND FILING.
BUY & SAVE
$17.00
Pendaflex 752 File Folders, Straight Cut, Top Tab, Letter, Manila (Box of 100), Natural
6 File Folder Tabs, 60+120 Sets Multicolor Hanging Folder Tabs With Inserts, 2 Inch Clear Plastic for Quick Identification

File Folder Tabs, 60+120 Sets Multicolor Hanging Folder Tabs With Inserts, 2 Inch Clear Plastic for Quick Identification

  • DURABLE DESIGN: HIGH-QUALITY PVC TABS ENSURE LONG-LASTING USE.
  • EASY ORGANIZATION: QUICKLY IDENTIFY FILES WITH VIBRANT COLOR OPTIONS.
  • EFFICIENT USE: ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY BY FINDING FILES IN SECONDS.
BUY & SAVE
$7.99
File Folder Tabs, 60+120 Sets Multicolor Hanging Folder Tabs With Inserts, 2 Inch Clear Plastic for Quick Identification
7 50 End Tab Fastener File Folders - Reinforced Straight Cut Tab 2 Prong Folders- Designed to Organize Standard Medical Files and Office Documents - Letter Size, Manila, 50 Pack

50 End Tab Fastener File Folders - Reinforced Straight Cut Tab 2 Prong Folders- Designed to Organize Standard Medical Files and Office Documents - Letter Size, Manila, 50 Pack

  • DURABLE METAL PRONGS ENSURE LONG-LASTING USE WITHOUT BREAKING.
  • PERFECT FIT FOR STANDARD LETTER-SIZE MEDICAL AND OFFICE FILES.
  • ORGANIZE LARGE VOLUMES EFFORTLESSLY WITH REINFORCED FOLDERS.
BUY & SAVE
$38.99
50 End Tab Fastener File Folders - Reinforced Straight Cut Tab 2 Prong Folders- Designed to Organize Standard Medical Files and Office Documents - Letter Size, Manila, 50 Pack
8 Mr. Pen- File Folders, 1/3 Cut Tab, 6 Pack, Assorted Colors, Letter Size, Colored File Folders, Letter File Folders

Mr. Pen- File Folders, 1/3 Cut Tab, 6 Pack, Assorted Colors, Letter Size, Colored File Folders, Letter File Folders

  • VIBRANT COLORS ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY AND REDUCE FILING MISTAKES!
  • DURABLE, WATER-RESISTANT FOLDERS ENSURE LONG-LASTING ORGANIZATION.
  • VERSATILE 1/3-CUT TABS FOR EASY LABELING AND QUICK ACCESS!
BUY & SAVE
$6.99
Mr. Pen- File Folders, 1/3 Cut Tab, 6 Pack, Assorted Colors, Letter Size, Colored File Folders, Letter File Folders
+
ONE MORE?

To read a specific column from a file in Linux, you can use various command-line tools such as awk, cut, or sed. These tools allow you to manipulate text files and extract the desired column data. Here's a description of each method:

  1. Awk: Awk is a versatile text processing tool that can be used to extract columns from a file. The general syntax is: awk '{print $column_number}' filename Replace "column_number" with the specific column number that you want to extract. For example, to read the second column of a file named "data.txt": awk '{print $2}' data.txt
  2. Cut: The 'cut' command is specifically designed to extract columns from files. The basic format is: cut -d'delimiter' -f column_number filename Replace "delimiter" with the character that separates your columns (default is tab), and "column_number" with the desired column number. For instance, to read the third column of a tab-separated file named "data.txt": cut -d$'\t' -f 3 data.txt
  3. Sed: Although primarily used for text substitution, 'sed' can also be employed to extract columns. It requires a regular expression to match the desired column, which can be complex depending on your requirements. As an example, suppose you have a comma-separated file named "data.csv" and want to read the fourth column: sed -n 's/.*,.*,.*,\(.*\),.*/\1/p' data.csv

Remember to replace "filename" with the name of your actual file. These methods should help you extract the desired column from a file using Linux-based commands.

What is the Linux command to extract data from a specific column and remove leading/trailing whitespaces?

The awk command can be used to extract data from a specific column and remove leading/trailing whitespaces in Linux.

The basic syntax is as follows:

awk '{ action }' input_file

To extract data from a specific column, you can specify the field separator (FS) and print the desired column using print $column_number. To remove leading/trailing whitespaces, you can use the gsub function with a regular expression.

Here is an example command to extract data from the second column and remove leading/trailing whitespaces:

awk -F ',' '{ gsub(/^[[:space:]]+|[[:space:]]+$/, "", $2); print $2 }' input_file

In the above command:

  • -F ',' sets the field separator as a comma. You can replace it with a different separator based on your input file format.
  • gsub(/^[[:space:]]+|[[:space:]]+$/, "", $2) removes leading and trailing whitespaces from the second column ($2).
  • print $2 prints the modified second column.

Replace input_file with the name of your input file or provide the actual path to it.

Make sure to adjust the column number ($2) according to your requirements.

What is the command to read a specific column from a file in Linux?

To read a specific column from a file in Linux, you can use the cut command. The basic syntax of the cut command is:

cut -f [column_number] [file_name]

For example, if you want to read the second column from a file called data.txt, you would use the following command:

cut -f 2 data.txt

Replace 2 with the desired column number you want to extract. Additionally, you can use options like -d to specify a delimiter if columns are separated by something other than the default tab.

What is the Linux command to retrieve data from a specific column in a file?

The Linux command to retrieve data from a specific column in a file is cut. The basic syntax for the cut command is:

cut -f column_number file_name

Here, column_number is the specific column number you want to retrieve, and file_name is the name of the file from which you want to retrieve the data.

You can also specify the delimiter using the -d option. For example, if your file is tab-separated, you can use -d$'\t' to indicate the delimiter is a tab character:

cut -f column_number -d$'\t' file_name

Additionally, you can use the -s option to skip lines that do not contain a delimiter character:

cut -f column_number -d$'\t' -s file_name

This can be useful when dealing with files that have different formats or if you want to exclude rows without the delimiter.