file - determine the type of a file by examining its contents

---

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

file uses the file /etc/magic to identify files that have some sort of magic number, that is, any file containing a numeric or string constant that indicates its type.

OPTIONS

-c

Check for format errors in the magic number file. For reasons of efficiency, this validation is not normally carried out. No file type-checking is done under -c.

-f ffile

Get a list of filenames to identify from ffile.

-L

If a file is a symbolic link, test the file the link references rather than the link itself.

-m mfile

Use mfile as the name of an alternate magic number file.

EXAMPLE

This example illustrates the use of file on all the files in a specific user's directory:

example% pwd
/usr/blort/misc
example% file  *

code:

mc68020 demand paged executable

code.c:

c program text

counts:

ascii text

doc:

roff, nroff , or eqn input text

empty.file:

empty

libz:

archive random library

memos:

directory

project:

symbolic link to /usr/project

script:

executable shell script

titles:

ascii text

s5.stuff:

cpio archive

example%

ENVIRONMENT

The environment variables LC_CTYPE, LANG, and LC_default control the character classification throughout file. On entry to file, these environment variables are checked in the following order: LC_CTYPE, LANG, and LC_default. When a valid value is found, remaining environment variables for character classification are ignored. For example, a new setting for LANG does not override the current valid character classification rules of LC_CTYPE. When none of the values is valid, the shell character classification defaults to the POSIX.1 ``C'' locale.

FILES

/etc/magic

SEE ALSO

BUGS

file often makes mistakes. In particular, it often suggests that command files are C programs.

Does not recognize Pascal or LISP.

Created by unroff & hp-tools. © somebody (See intro for details). All Rights Reserved. Last modified 11/5/97