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Manual page for TEST(1V)

test - return true or false according to a conditional expression

SYNOPSIS

test expression

[ expression ]

DESCRIPTION

test evaluates the expression expression and, if its value is true, returns a zero (true) exit status; otherwise, a non-zero (false) exit status is returned. test returns a non-zero exit if there are no arguments.

USAGE

Primitives

The following primitives are used to construct expression.

-b filename: True if filename exists and is a block special device.
-c filename: True if filename exists and is a character special device.
-d filename: True if filename exists and is a directory.
-f filename: True if filename exists and is not a directory.
-g filename: True if filename exists and its set-group-ID bit is set.
-h filename: True if filename exists and is a symbolic link.
-k filename: True if filename exists and its sticky bit is set.
-l string: the length of the string.
-n s1: True if the length of the string s1 is non-zero.
-p filename: True if filename exists and is a named pipe (FIFO).
-r filename: True if filename exists and is readable.
-s filename: True if filename exists and has a size greater than zero.
-t [ fildes ]: True if the open file whose file descriptor number is fildes (1 by default) is associated with a terminal device.
-u filename: True if filename exists and its set-user-ID bit is set.
-w filename: True if filename exists and is writable.
-x filename: True if filename exists and is executable.
-z s1: True if the length of string s1 is zero.
s1 = s2: True if the strings s1 and s2 are equal.
s1 != s2: True if the strings s1 and s2 are not equal.
s1: True if s1 is not the null string.
n1 -eq n2: True if the integers n1 and n2 are numerically equal.
n1 -ne n2: True if the integer n1 is not numerically equal to the integer n2.
n1 -gt n2: True if the integer n1 is numerically greater than the integer n2.
n1 -ge n2: True if the integer n1 is numerically greater than or equal to the integer n2.
n1 -lt n2: True if the integer n1 is numerically less than the integer n2.
n1 -le n2: True if the integer n1 is numerically less than or equal to the integer n2.

Operators

The above primaries may be combined with the following operators:

!: Unary negation operator.
-a: Binary and operator.
-o: Binary or operator.
(expression): Parentheses for grouping.

-a has higher precedence than -o. Notice that all the operators and flags are separate arguments to test. Notice also that parentheses are meaningful to the Shell and must be escaped.

SYSTEM V USAGE

The actions of the System V version of test are the same, except for the following primitives:

-f filename: True if filename exists and is a regular file.
-l string: Not supported.

WARNING

In the second form of the command (that is, the one that uses [], rather than the word test), the square brackets must be delimited by blanks.

Some UNIX systems do not recognize the second form of the command.

NOTES

The test command is built into the Bourne shell, which chooses the 4.2 BSD or the System V version of test, depending on whether /usr/5bin appears before /usr/bin in the shell's PATH variable. This is consistent with the behavior of other commands present in both /usr/bin and /usr/5bin.

The fact that test is built into the shell also means that a program named test cannot be run without specifying a pathname; if the program is in the current directory, ./test will suffice.