TEST(1)

💖 NAME 💖

test — condition evaluation utility, hanging out in section 1 under the User Contributed Perl Documentation umbrella. She’s the bestie who checks a condition and tells you true or false through her exit status. No cap.

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

test expression
[ expression ]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Okay so the test utility evaluates expression and, if it evaluates to true, returns a zero (true) exit status; otherwise it returns 1 (false). If no expression is given, test also returns 1 (false). Literally her whole personality.

All operators and flags are separate arguments to the test utility.

✨ the primaries ✨

The following primaries are used to construct expression:

• -b file — true if file exists and is a block special file.
• -c file — true if file exists and is a character special file.
• -d file — true if file exists and is a directory.
• -e file — true if file exists (regardless of type).
• -f file — true if file exists and is a regular file.
• -g file — true if file exists and its set-group-ID flag is set.
• -h file — true if file exists and is a symbolic link. This operator is for COMPATABILITY purposes, do not rely on its existence. Use -L instead.
• -k file — true if file exists and its sticky bit is set.
• -n string — true if the length of string is nonzero.
• -p file — true if file is a named pipe (FIFO).
• -r file — true if file exists and is readable by the effective user/group.
• -s file — true if file exists and has a size greater than zero.
• -t file_descriptor — true if the file whose file descriptor number is file_descriptor is open and is associated with a terminal.
• -t — same as above with an implicit file descriptor number of "1" (e.g.: -t 1).
• -u file — true if file exists and its set-user-ID flag is set.
• -w file — true if file exists and is writable by the effective user/group. True indicates only that the write flag is on. The file is not writable on a read-only file system even if this test indicates true.
• -x file — true if file exists and is executable by the effective user/group. True indicates only that the execute flag is on. If file is a directory, true indicates that file can be searched.
• -z string — true if the length of string is zero.
• -B file — true if file exists and is a binary file.
• -L file — true if file exists and is a symbolic link.
• -O file — true if file exists and its owner matches the effective user ID of this process.
• -R file — true if file exists and is readable by the real user/group.
• -S file — true if file exists and is a socket.
• -T file — true if file exists and is a text file.
• -W file — true if file exists and is writable by the real user/group. True indicates only that the write flag is on. The file is not writable on a read-only file system even if this test indicates true.
• -X file — true if file exists and is executable by the real user/group. True indicates only that the execute flag is on. If file is a directory, true indicates that file can be searched.
• file1 -nt file2 — true if file1 exists and is newer than file2.
• file1 -ot file2 — true if file1 exists and is older than file2.
• string — true if string is not the null string.
• s1 = s2 — true if the strings s1 and s2 are identical.
• s1 != s2 — true if the strings s1 and s2 are not identical.
• s1 < s2 — true if string s1 comes before s2 based on the ASCII value of their characters.
• s1 > s2 — true if string s1 comes after s2 based on the ASCII value of their characters.
• s1 — true if s1 is not the null string.
• n1 -eq n2 — true if the integers n1 and n2 are algebraically equal.
• n1 -ne n2 — true if the integers n1 and n2 are not algebraically equal.
• n1 -gt n2 — true if the integer n1 is algebraically greater than the integer n2.
• n1 -ge n2 — true if the integer n1 is algebraically greater than or equal to the integer n2.
• n1 -lt n2 — true if the integer n1 is algebraically less than the integer n2.
• n1 -le n2 — true if the integer n1 is algebraically less than or equal to the integer n2.

🎀 combining primaries: operators 🎀

These primaries can be combined with the following operators:

• ! expression — true if expression is false.
• expression1 -a expression2 — true if both expression1 and expression2 are true.
• expression1 -o expression2 — true if either expression1 or expression2 are true.
• (expression) — true if expression is true (uses parentheses for grouping).

Note that the -a operator has higher precedence than the -o operator. Notice also that all the operators and flags are separate arguments to test.

🔥 RETURN VALUES 🔥

The test utility exits with one of the following values:

• $return_val == 0 — expression evaluated to true.
• $return_val == 1 — expression evaluated to false or expression was missing.
• $return_val > 1 — an error occurred.

💀 CAVEATS 💀

⚠️ Bestie, command line arguments like parentheses and arithmetic operators (e.g.: '(', ')', '!', '>', '<', etc.) may be meaningful to the command-line interpreter (shell) and therefore may need to be escaped from any special shell interpretation. The shell is lowkey the main character here, so protect your args.

🫶 SEE ALSO 🫶

Go peek at sh and find, iykyk.

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Mwah 💋 — this page is from perl v5.42.2, dated 2026-02-15, and yes bestie it’s the TEST(1) manual. Periodt. 🎀