TEST(1)

📦 version 0.12.0, in arch rolling

💅 TEST(1) — the check-file-types-and-compare-values girlies ✨

ok so this is test from the General Commands Manual, and bestie, she is foundational. Every if you've ever written? She's behind it. Let's get into it 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

test — check file types and compare values. that's it. that's the whole job. and she does it flawlessly. 👑

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

test EXPRESSION
test
[ EXPRESSION ]
[ ]
[ OPTION

look at her four whole forms. main character energy fr fr 💅

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Check file types and compare values.

like... yes. that's the vibe. she checks file types. she compares values. she does not elaborate. iconique 💀

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • -h, --help — Print help. your little "what do i do" moment 🥺
  • -V, --version — Print version. so you know exactly which girl you're dealing with 💜

🔥 EXTRA 🔥

Exit with the status determined by EXPRESSION. that's her whole thing — she doesn't print stuff, she just sets exit status and dips. lowkey the most powerful move honestly.

An omitted EXPRESSION defaults to false. so test with nothing? false. [ ]? also false. yes bestie, that's real, no cap.

Otherwise, EXPRESSION is true or false and sets exit status. It is one of:

🧚 the logic-y ones

  • ( EXPRESSION ) — EXPRESSION is true. grouping!! but read the warning below about escaping, ok? 🙈
  • ! EXPRESSION — EXPRESSION is false. the "not" girlie ✨
  • EXPRESSION1 -a EXPRESSION2 — both EXPRESSION1 and EXPRESSION2 are true. and!! both!! 🫶
  • EXPRESSION1 -o EXPRESSION2 — either EXPRESSION1 or EXPRESSION2 is true. or!! either!! 🌈

💖 String operations:

  • -n STRING — the length of STRING is nonzero. she has ✨content✨
  • STRING — equivalent to -n STRING. so you can just say the thing. so chill of her.
  • -z STRING — the length of STRING is zero. empty. nothing. a void. 💀
  • STRING1 = STRING2 — the strings are equal. twins!! 👯
  • STRING1 != STRING2 — the strings are not equal. not twins. 😭
  • STRING1 > STRING2 — STRING1 is greater than STRING2 in the current locale. yes, locale matters, it's giving "it depends" 🙈
  • STRING1 < STRING2 — STRING1 is less than STRING2 in the current locale. same deal, locale girlie 💅

🌈 Integer comparisons:

  • INTEGER1 -eq INTEGER2 — INTEGER1 is equal to INTEGER2
  • INTEGER1 -ge INTEGER2 — INTEGER1 is greater than or equal to INTEGER2
  • INTEGER1 -gt INTEGER2 — INTEGER1 is greater than INTEGER2
  • INTEGER1 -le INTEGER2 — INTEGER1 is less than or equal to INTEGER2
  • INTEGER1 -lt INTEGER2 — INTEGER1 is less than INTEGER2
  • INTEGER1 -ne INTEGER2 — INTEGER1 is not equal to INTEGER2

six of them. all accounted for. math ate. 🔥

🦋 File operations:

  • FILE1 -ef FILE2 — FILE1 and FILE2 have the same device and inode numbers. literally the same file, spiritually and technically 💫
  • FILE1 -nt FILE2 — FILE1 is newer (modification date) than FILE2. fresh out the oven 🍓
  • FILE1 -ot FILE2 — FILE1 is older than FILE2. vintage. antique. 🕰️
  • -b FILE — FILE exists and is block special
  • -c FILE — FILE exists and is character special
  • -d FILE — FILE exists and is a directory. folder energy 📁
  • -e FILE — FILE exists. she's there. she's real. 👑
  • -f FILE — FILE exists and is a regular file
  • -g FILE — FILE exists and is set-group-ID
  • -G FILE — FILE exists and is owned by the effective group ID
  • -h FILE — FILE exists and is a symbolic link (same as -L)
  • -k FILE — FILE exists and has its sticky bit set
  • -L FILE — FILE exists and is a symbolic link (same as -h)
  • -N FILE — FILE exists and has been modified since it was last read
  • -O FILE — FILE exists and is owned by the effective user ID
  • -p FILE — FILE exists and is a named pipe
  • -r FILE — FILE exists and read permission is granted
  • -s FILE — FILE exists and has a size greater than zero. she has substance 💅
  • -S FILE — FILE exists and is a socket
  • -t FD — file descriptor FD is opened on a terminal
  • -u FILE — FILE exists and its set-user-ID bit is set
  • -w FILE — FILE exists and write permission is granted
  • -x FILE — FILE exists and execute (or search) permission is granted

okay and here's the fine print, and bestie you need to hear it:

Except for -h and -L, all FILE-related tests dereference (follow) symbolic links. 👀

Beware that parentheses need to be escaped (e.g., by backslashes) for shells. your shell is gonna eat them otherwise and you'll be so confused. 🙈

INTEGER may also be -l STRING, which evaluates to the length of STRING. sneaky but valid ✨

NOTE: Binary -a and -o are inherently ambiguous. Use test EXPR1 && test EXPR2 or test EXPR1 || test EXPR2 instead. no cap, the binary ones are a trap — do the split version, future you will thank you 😭
NOTE: [ honors the --help and --version options, but test does not. test treats each of those as it treats any other nonempty STRING. so test --version is just... a string that exists. she said "not today" 💀
NOTE: your shell may have its own version of test and/or [, which usually supersedes the version described here. Please refer to your shell's documentation for details about the options it supports. iykyk — check your shell's docs, bestie 🧚

And one more genuinely cute detail: Errors are reported with the expression echoed back and a caret under the argument at fault whenever stderr is a terminal. like she's pointing at it. she's literally going "this one. right here." 🎯 anything else reading stderr gets the usual single-line message.

🌟 VERSION 🌟

v(uutils coreutils) 0.12.0

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 💖 slay, go write some conditionals — and remember, this was v(uutils coreutils) 0.12.0, dated 2026-09-17, from your General Commands Manual. mwah 🫶✨🎀🌸

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