 Examples of type command | |
| Original author(s) | AT&T Corporation |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Various open-source and commercial developers |
| Initial release | 1984 |
| Operating system | Unix and Unix-like |
| Platform | Cross-platform |
| Type | Command |
In Unix and Unix-like operating systems, type is a command that describes how its arguments would be interpreted if used as command names.
Function
[edit]Where applicable, type will display the command name's path. Possible command types are:
- shell built-in
- function
- alias
- hashed command
- keyword
The command returns a non-zero exit status if command names cannot be found.
Examples
[edit]$ type test
test is a shell builtin
$ type cp
cp is /bin/cp
$ type unknown
unknown not found
$ type type
type is a shell builtin
History
[edit]The type command was a shell builtin for Bourne shell that was introduced in AT&T's System V Release 2 (SVR2) in 1984,[1] and continues to be included in many other POSIX-compatible shells such as Bash. However, type is not part of the POSIX standard. With a POSIX shell, similar behavior is retrieved with
command -V name
In the KornShell, the command whence provides similar functionality.[2]
The command is available as a separate package for Microsoft Windows as part of the UnxUtils collection of native Win32 ports of common GNU Unix-like utilities.[3]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "traditional Bourne shell family / history and development". www.in-ulm.de. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- ^
Siever, Ellen (27 July 2005). Linux in a Nutshell. Nutshell handbooks. O'Reilly Media, Inc. (published 2005). p. 695. ISBN 9780596009304. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
whence [...] Korn shell only. Show whether each command is a Unix command, a built-in command, a defined shell function, or an alias.
- ^ Native Win32 ports of some GNU utilities
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