type (Unix) should not be confused with TYPE (DOS command).
| type | |
| Author: | AT&T Corporation |
| Developer: | Various open-source and commercial developers |
| Operating System: | Unix and Unix-like |
| Platform: | Cross-platform |
| Genre: | 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.
Where applicable, type will display the command name's path. Possible command types are:
The command returns a non-zero exit status if command names cannot be found.
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]