type Command in Linux

Syntax of type Command in Linux

The basic syntax of the type command in Linux is as follows:

Where:

• type: The command itself, used to determine the command type.
• [-aftpP]: Options to modify the behavior of the type command.
• [name ...]: The command name for which you want to determine the type.

Options in type Command in Linux

1. -a: This option prints all locations containing an executable named 'name'. This includes aliases and functions, if and only if the '-p' option is not also used.

   For example -

   Output:

   The 'ls' command is an alias and also an executable located at /bin/ls.

2. -t: If the '-t' option is used, 'type' outputs a single word indicating the command type. The possible output words are 'alias', 'keyword', 'function', 'builtin', 'file' or 'not found'.

   For example -

   Output:

   The 'echo' command is a shell builtin.

3. -p: The '-p' option returns either the name of the disk file that would be executed, or nothing if 'type -t name' would not return 'file'.

   For example -

   Output:

   The 'ls' command would execute the disk file located at /bin/ls.

Example Usages

• Find the type of the 'pwd' command.:

  Output:

  Explanation: The 'pwd' command is a shell builtin.

• Use type command to find whether 'ls' is an alias or an executable.:

  Output:

  Explanation: The 'ls' command is both an alias and an executable located at /bin/ls.

Advanced Use Cases of type Command in Linux

• Find the type of multiple commands at once:

  Output:

  Explanation: The 'ls' command is an alias and an executable, whereas 'pwd' and 'echo' are shell builtins.

• Use type to find out whether a command is a function:

  Output:

  Explanation: The command 'someFunction' is a function.

• Use type to find out if a command doesn't exist:

  Output:

  Explanation: The command 'nonExistentCommand' does not exist.