How to split a large text file into smaller files with equal number of lines?
Have you looked at the split command?
$ split --help
Usage: split [OPTION] [INPUT [PREFIX]]
Output fixed-size pieces of INPUT to PREFIXaa, PREFIXab, ...; default
size is 1000 lines, and default PREFIX is `x'. With no INPUT, or when INPUT
is -, read standard input.
Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.
-a, --suffix-length=N use suffixes of length N (default 2)
-b, --bytes=SIZE put SIZE bytes per output file
-C, --line-bytes=SIZE put at most SIZE bytes of lines per output file
-d, --numeric-suffixes use numeric suffixes instead of alphabetic
-l, --lines=NUMBER put NUMBER lines per output file
--verbose print a diagnostic to standard error just
before each output file is opened
--help display this help and exit
--version output version information and exit
You could do something like this:
split -l 200000 filename
which will create files each with 200000 lines named xaa xab xac
...
Another option, split by size of output file (still splits on line breaks):
split -C 20m --numeric-suffixes input_filename output_prefix
creates files like output_prefix01 output_prefix02 output_prefix03 ...
each of max size 20 megabytes.
How about the split command?
split -l 200000 mybigfile.txt
Yes, there is a split
command. It will split a file by lines or bytes.
$ split --help
Usage: split [OPTION]... [INPUT [PREFIX]]
Output fixed-size pieces of INPUT to PREFIXaa, PREFIXab, ...; default
size is 1000 lines, and default PREFIX is `x'. With no INPUT, or when INPUT
is -, read standard input.
Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.
-a, --suffix-length=N use suffixes of length N (default 2)
-b, --bytes=SIZE put SIZE bytes per output file
-C, --line-bytes=SIZE put at most SIZE bytes of lines per output file
-d, --numeric-suffixes use numeric suffixes instead of alphabetic
-l, --lines=NUMBER put NUMBER lines per output file
--verbose print a diagnostic just before each
output file is opened
--help display this help and exit
--version output version information and exit
SIZE may have a multiplier suffix:
b 512, kB 1000, K 1024, MB 1000*1000, M 1024*1024,
GB 1000*1000*1000, G 1024*1024*1024, and so on for T, P, E, Z, Y.