FILE(1) (Essential Utilities) FILE(1)
NAME
file - determine file type
SYNOPSIS
file [ -c ] [ -f ffile ] [ -m mfile ] arg ...
DESCRIPTION
file performs a series of tests on each argument in an
attempt to classify it. If an argument appears to be ASCII,
file examines the first 512 bytes and tries to guess its
language. If an argument is an executable a.out, file will
print the version stamp, provided it is greater than 0.
-c The -c option causes file to check the magic file for
format errors. This validation is not normally carried
out for reasons of efficiency. No file typing is done
under -c.
-f If the -f option is given, the next argument is taken
to be a file containing the names of the files to be
examined.
-m The -m option instructs file to use an alternate magic
file.
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.
Commentary at the beginning of /etc/magic explains its
format.
FILES
/etc/magic
SEE ALSO
filehdr(4) in the Programmer's Reference Manual.
Page 1 May 1989