FILE(1) BSD General Commands Manual FILE(1)NAMEfile — identify file content
SYNOPSISfile [-h] file ...
DESCRIPTION
File tests the specified files and attempts to classify them. If a file
is a text file, it attempts to determine the type of text (e.g. csh(1)
commands or C source code).
The options are as follows:
-h If a symbolic link is specified, identify the file as a symbolic
link. By default, symbolic links are only identified if they
reference non-existent files.
COMPATIBILITY
Previous implementations of the file utility did not follow symbolic
links by default.
BUGS
As many tests are used and file stops testing on the first successful
one, it can often make mistakes.
HISTORY
A file command appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX.
BSD March 31, 1994 BSD