SAD!
Space Age seD
What does it do?
Basically sad is a Batch File Edit tool.
It will show you a really nice diff of proposed changes before you commit them.
Unlike sed, you can double check before you fat finger your edit.
Preview (with fzf)
Selectively replace std -> joseph joestar in the sad repo.
You can pick and choose which changes to apply.
You can also choose the clustering factor for changes using --unified=<n>. (Same as in GNU diff)
Preview (no fzf)
Replace all'"(\d+)"' -> 'π$1π' in the chromium repo.
use --commit or -k to commit changes all at once.
-c is taken because sad has to trick fzf into thinking it's bash :)
How to use sad?
with fzf
export GIT_PAGER='<highlighter-of-your-choice>'
# ^ can be done in your bash/zsh/rc file.
find "$FIND_ARGS" | sad '<pattern>' '<replacement>'without fzf
find "$FIND_ARGS" | sad '<pattern>' '<replacement>' | highlighter-of-your-choiceor
find "$FIND_ARGS" | sad '<pattern>' '<replacement>' --pager=<highlighter-of-your-choice>or
export GIT_PAGER='<highlighter-of-your-choice>'
find "$FIND_ARGS" | sad '<pattern>' '<replacement>'gotta go fast
If you wanna go fast.
-
preview to verify you really want the changes.
-
run with
--commit, and redirectstdoutto a file or/dev/null
Requirements
Technically none of these are "required", but they make sad so much happier.
If you install the things below, sad will automatically use them. It's progressive enhancement!
Commandline fuzzer
sad does not come with a UI, it uses fzf to perform selection.
Diff Colorizer
Any git compatible colourizer would work. I perfer these two:
fd <files> | sad <pattern> <replacement> | delta
fd <files> | sad <pattern> <replacement> | diff-so-fancy | less
Environmental Variables
| Name | Function |
|---|---|
GIT_PAGER |
sad will use the same pager as git |
Flags
| Name | Function |
|---|---|
-f --flags |
Regex flags, see below |
-k --commit |
No preview, write changes to file |
-0 --read0 |
Use \x00 as stdin delimiter |
-e --exact |
String literal mode |
-p --pager |
Colourizing program, disable = never |
--fzf |
Additional Fzf options, disable = never |
-u --unified |
Same as in GNU diff, affects hunk size |
Regex Flags
By default, sad uses smartcase, and multiline matching.
| Name | Function |
|---|---|
i |
case insensitive (works for --exact mode as well) |
I |
case sensitive (works for --exact mode as well) |
m |
multiline: ^ $ match each line |
M |
singleline: ^ $ match entire document |
s |
allow . match \n |
x |
ignore whitespace and allow # comments |
Exit Codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
0 |
Good |
1 |
Bad |
130 |
Interrupted (ie. user cancel), or if using fzf, it will always exit 130. |
GET SAD NOW!
Homebrew:
brew install ms-jpq/sad/sad
Snap Store:
coming soon...
Distribution packages:
Debian/Ubuntu:
You can download sad deb packages from the github release page.
Arch Linux:
You can find the PKGBUILD on the AUR.
Other:
Missing a package for your favourite distribution? Let us know!
Compile from source:
Requirements:
To compile sad yourself you'll have to make sure you have
Rust and cargo installed.
Install instructions:
To install cargo from source you can run the following commands:
cargo install --locked --all-features --path .
If you want to install it in a specific directory you can provide the --root
flag, like so:
cargo install --locked --all-features --root="/usr/bin/" --path .What about stdin -> stdout
If you just want to edit the shell stream, I would recommand sd, it uses the same concept, but its more for in stream edits. sad was inspired by my initial useage of sd.
command1 | sd '<pattern>' '<replacement>' | command2ripgrep with --replace also works
command1 | rg --passthru --replace '<replacement>' -- '<pattern>' | command2Take note however, rg will exit 1, it it finds no matches.
Thank yous
Special thanks to MadeOfMagicAndWires for their generous contribution for maintaining the AUR package.
Bugs
Please file an issue if you see one <3

Formed in 2009, the Archive Team (not to be confused with the archive.org Archive-It Team) is a rogue archivist collective dedicated to saving copies of rapidly dying or deleted websites for the sake of history and digital heritage. The group is 100% composed of volunteers and interested parties, and has expanded into a large amount of related projects for saving online and digital history.


