test(1)

NAME

       test - check file types and compare values

SYNOPSIS

       test EXPRESSION
       test

       [ EXPRESSION ]
       [ ]
       [ OPTION

DESCRIPTION

       Exit with the status determined by EXPRESSION.

       --help display this help and exit

       --version
              output version information and exit

       An omitted EXPRESSION defaults to false.  Otherwise, EXPRESSION is true
       or false and sets exit status.  It is one of:

       ( EXPRESSION )
              EXPRESSION is true

       ! EXPRESSION
              EXPRESSION is false

       EXPRESSION1 -a EXPRESSION2
              both EXPRESSION1 and EXPRESSION2 are true

       EXPRESSION1 -o EXPRESSION2
              either EXPRESSION1 or EXPRESSION2 is true

       -n STRING
              the length of STRING is nonzero

       STRING equivalent to -n STRING

       -z STRING
              the length of STRING is zero

       STRING1 = STRING2
              the strings are equal

       STRING1 != STRING2
              the strings are not equal

       INTEGER1 -eq INTEGER2
              INTEGER1 is equal to INTEGER2

       INTEGER1 -ge INTEGER2
              INTEGER1 is greater than or equal to INTEGER2

       INTEGER1 -gt INTEGER2
              INTEGER1 is greater than INTEGER2

       INTEGER1 -le INTEGER2
              INTEGER1 is less than or equal to INTEGER2

       INTEGER1 -lt INTEGER2
              INTEGER1 is less than INTEGER2

       INTEGER1 -ne INTEGER2
              INTEGER1 is not equal to INTEGER2

       FILE1 -ef FILE2
              FILE1 and FILE2 have the same device and inode numbers

       FILE1 -nt FILE2
              FILE1 is newer (modification date) than FILE2

       FILE1 -ot FILE2
              FILE1 is older than FILE2

       -b FILE
              FILE exists and is block special

       -c FILE
              FILE exists and is character special

       -d FILE
              FILE exists and is a directory

       -e FILE
              FILE exists

       -f FILE
              FILE exists and is a regular file

       -g FILE
              FILE exists and is set-group-ID

       -G FILE
              FILE exists and is owned by the effective group ID

       -h FILE
              FILE exists and is a symbolic link (same as -L)

       -k FILE
              FILE exists and has its sticky bit set

       -L FILE
              FILE exists and is a symbolic link (same as -h)

       -O FILE
              FILE exists and is owned by the effective user ID

       -p FILE
              FILE exists and is a named pipe

       -r FILE
              FILE exists and read permission is granted

       -s FILE
              FILE exists and has a size greater than zero

       -S FILE
              FILE exists and is a socket

       -t FD  file descriptor FD is opened on a terminal

       -u FILE
              FILE exists and its set-user-ID bit is set

       -w FILE
              FILE exists and write permission is granted

       -x FILE
              FILE exists and execute (or search) permission is granted

       Except for -h and  -L,  all  FILE-related  tests  dereference  symbolic
       links.   Beware  that  parentheses  need  to be escaped (e.g., by back-
       slashes) for shells.  INTEGER may also be -l STRING, which evaluates to
       the length of STRING.

       NOTE:  your shell may have its own version of test and/or [, which usu-
       ally supersedes the version  described  here.   Please  refer  to  your
       shell's documentation for details about the options it supports.

AUTHOR

       Written by Kevin Braunsdorf and Matthew Bradburn.

REPORTING BUGS

       Report bugs to <bug-coreutils@gnu.org>.

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright (C) 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
       This  is  free  software.   You may redistribute copies of it under the
       terms      of      the      GNU      General       Public       License
       <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.   There  is NO WARRANTY, to the
       extent permitted by law.

SEE ALSO

       The full documentation for test is maintained as a Texinfo manual.   If
       the  info  and  test  programs are properly installed at your site, the
       command

              info test

       should give you access to the complete manual.

test 5.93                        November 2005                         TEST(1)