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TEST(1)			    General Commands Manual		       TEST(1)

NAME
       test - set status according to condition

SYNOPSIS
       test expr

DESCRIPTION
       Test evaluates the expression expr.  If the value is true the exit sta-
       tus  is	null;  otherwise the exit status is non-null.  If there	are no
       arguments the exit status is non-null.

       The following primitives	are used to construct expr.

       -r file	  True if the file exists (is accessible) and is readable.

       -w file	  True if the file exists and is writable.

       -x file	  True if the file exists and has execute permission.

       -e file	  True if the file exists.

       -f file	  True if the file exists and is a plain file.

       -d file	  True if the file exists and is a directory.

       -s file	  True if the file exists and has a size greater than zero.

       -t fildes  True if the open file	whose file descriptor number is	fildes
		  (1 by	default) is the	same file as /dev/cons.

       -A file	  True if the file exists and is append-only.

       -L file	  True if the file exists and is exclusive-use.

       -Tfile	  True if the file exists and is temporary.

       s1 = s2	  True if the strings s1 and s2	are identical.

       s1 != s2	  True if the strings s1 and s2	are not	identical.

       s1	  True if s1 is	not the	null string.  (Deprecated.)

       -n s1	  True if the length of	string s1 is non-zero.

       -z s1	  True if the length of	string s1 is zero.

       n1 -eq n2  True if the integers n1 and  n2  are	arithmetically	equal.
		  Any  of  the	comparisons  -ne, -gt, -ge, -lt, or -le	may be
		  used in  place  of  -eq.   The  (nonstandard)	 construct  -l
		  string,  meaning  the	length of string, may be used in place
		  of an	integer.

       a -nt b	  True if file a is newer than (modified after)	file b.

       a -ot b	  True if file a is older than (modified before) file b.

       f -older	t True if file f is older than (modified before) time t.  If t
		  is a integer followed	by the	letters	 y(years),  M(months),
		  d(days),  h(hours), m(minutes), or s(seconds), it represents
		  current time minus the specified time.  If there is no  let-
		  ter,	it  represents seconds since epoch.  You can also con-
		  catenate mixed units.	 For example, 3d12h means  three  days
		  and twelve hours ago.

       These primaries may be combined with the	following operators:

       !	 unary negation	operator

       -o	 binary	or operator

       -a	 binary	and operator; higher precedence	than -o

       ( expr )	 parentheses for grouping.

       The primitives -b, -u, -g, and -s return	false; they are	recognized for
       compatibility with POSIX.

       Notice that all the operators and flags are separate arguments to test.
       Notice  also  that parentheses and equal	signs are meaningful to	rc and
       must be enclosed	in quotes.

EXAMPLES
       Test is a dubious way to	check for specific character strings: it  uses
       a  process to do	what an	rc((1))	match or switch	statement can do.  The
       first example is	not only inefficient but wrong,	 because  test	under-
       stands the purported string "-c"	as an option.

	      if (test $1 '=' "-c") echo OK # wrong!

       A better	way is

	      if (~ $1 -c) echo	OK

       Test whether is in the current directory.

	      test -f abc -o -d	abc

SOURCE
       /src/cmd/test.c

SEE ALSO
       rc(1)

BUGS
       Won't  complain about extraneous	arguments since	there may be arguments
       left unprocessed	by short-circuit evaluation of -a or -o.

								       TEST(1)

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