What Does File Do In Linux?

What Does File Do in Linux?

Answer: The file command in Linux defines the file type. the file might be readable by humans (ASCII text) or in MIME format. The commands check the argument with the purpose of the category.

The Linux file command help to check the type of file that is not known or have no extension. The file command has three tests which are:

• Filesystem test: The test is based on the outcome from the stat system call.it checks if the file is special or contains no data. the file type is printed with the help of this test.
• Magic test: The test checks the file that contains the data in the form of some special and fixed format.
• Language test: the test finds the string of a particular type that might show in the file’s first blocks.

Syntax of the file command:

The Linux file command is written as follows:

File [OPTION] [FILE]

Copy

The command might take more than one file name as an argument.

The files are classified with the help of the tests and the file type is discovered in the first test outcomes.in the simple form without any further option, the command shows the names of the file along with the type:

file /etc/groupCopy

/etc/group: ASCII text

Copy

To show just the file type use the -b (–brief) option:

file -b /etc/group copy

ASCII text

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The result of the /etc/group file is in the form of a text file.

MIME-type format syntax:

The MIME file type is determined with the help of the following syntax:

-i (–mime) use is the option to check the mime type of a file:

file -i /var/www/index.htmlCopy

/var/www/index.html: text/html; charset=us-ascii

File commands in Linux:

Some of the file commands in a Linux are listed in the following table:

• File -s: It is for the specified files.
• File *: It is used to make the list of the all-files types.
• File /directory name/*: In the mentioned directory it is for the list type of the files.
• File [range]*: In the given range all the files in the form of alphabets are listed with this command.