.. _cmd-test: test - perform tests on files and text ====================================== Synopsis -------- .. synopsis:: test [EXPRESSION] [ [EXPRESSION] ] Description ----------- .. only:: builder_man NOTE: This page documents the fish builtin ``test``. To see the documentation on any non-fish versions, use ``command man test``. ``test`` checks the given conditions and sets the exit status to 0 if they are true, 1 if they are false. The first form (``test``) is preferred. For compatibility with other shells, the second form is available: a matching pair of square brackets (``[ [EXPRESSION] ]``). When using a variable or command substitution as an argument with ``test`` you should almost always enclose it in double-quotes, as variables expanding to zero or more than one argument will most likely interact badly with ``test``. For historical reasons, ``test`` supports the one-argument form (``test foo``), and this will also be triggered by e.g. ``test -n $foo`` if $foo is unset. We recommend you don't use the one-argument form and quote all variables or command substitutions used with ``test``. Operators for files and directories ----------------------------------- **-b** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* is a block device. **-c** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* is a character device. **-d** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* is a directory. **-e** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* exists. **-f** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* is a regular file. **-g** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* has the set-group-ID bit set. **-G** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* exists and has the same group ID as the current user. **-k** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* has the sticky bit set. If the OS does not support the concept it returns false. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky_bit. **-L** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* is a symbolic link. **-O** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* exists and is owned by the current user. **-p** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* is a named pipe. **-r** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* is marked as readable. **-s** *FILE* Returns true if the size of *FILE* is greater than zero. **-S** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* is a socket. **-t** *FD* Returns true if the file descriptor *FD* is a terminal (TTY). **-u** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* has the set-user-ID bit set. **-w** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* is marked as writable; note that this does not check if the filesystem is read-only. **-x** *FILE* Returns true if *FILE* is marked as executable. Operators to compare files and directories ------------------------------------------ *FILE1* **-nt** *FILE2* Returns true if *FILE1* is newer than *FILE2*, or *FILE1* exists and *FILE2* does not. *FILE1* **-ot** *FILE2* Returns true if *FILE1* is older than *FILE2*, or *FILE2* exists and *FILE1* does not. *FILE1* **-ef** *FILE1* Returns true if *FILE1* and *FILE2* refer to the same file. Operators for text strings -------------------------- *STRING1* **=** *STRING2* Returns true if the strings *STRING1* and *STRING2* are identical. *STRING1* **!=** *STRING2* Returns true if the strings *STRING1* and *STRING2* are not identical. **-n** *STRING* Returns true if the length of *STRING* is non-zero. **-z** *STRING* Returns true if the length of *STRING* is zero. Operators to compare and examine numbers ---------------------------------------- *NUM1* **-eq** *NUM2* Returns true if *NUM1* and *NUM2* are numerically equal. *NUM1* **-ne** *NUM2* Returns true if *NUM1* and *NUM2* are not numerically equal. *NUM1* **-gt** *NUM2* Returns true if *NUM1* is greater than *NUM2*. *NUM1* **-ge** *NUM2* Returns true if *NUM1* is greater than or equal to *NUM2*. *NUM1* **-lt** *NUM2* Returns true if *NUM1* is less than *NUM2*. *NUM1* **-le** *NUM2* Returns true if *NUM1* is less than or equal to *NUM2*. Both integers and floating point numbers are supported. Operators to combine expressions -------------------------------- *COND1* **-a** *COND2* Returns true if both *COND1* and *COND2* are true. *COND1* **-o** *COND2* Returns true if either *COND1* or *COND2* are true. Expressions can be inverted using the **!** operator: **!** *EXPRESSION* Returns true if *EXPRESSION* is false, and false if *EXPRESSION* is true. Expressions can be grouped using parentheses. **(** *EXPRESSION* **)** Returns the value of *EXPRESSION*. Note that parentheses will usually require escaping with ``\`` (so they appear as ``\(`` and ``\)``) to avoid being interpreted as a command substitution. Examples -------- If the ``/tmp`` directory exists, copy the ``/etc/motd`` file to it: :: if test -d /tmp cp /etc/motd /tmp/motd end If the variable :envvar:`MANPATH` is defined and not empty, print the contents. (If :envvar:`MANPATH` is not defined, then it will expand to zero arguments, unless quoted.) :: if test -n "$MANPATH" echo $MANPATH end Be careful with unquoted variables:: if test -n $MANPATH # This will also be reached if $MANPATH is unset, # because in that case we have `test -n`, so it checks if "-n" is non-empty, and it is. echo $MANPATH end Parentheses and the ``-o`` and ``-a`` operators can be combined to produce more complicated expressions. In this example, success is printed if there is a ``/foo`` or ``/bar`` file as well as a ``/baz`` or ``/bat`` file. :: if test \( -f /foo -o -f /bar \) -a \( -f /baz -o -f /bat \) echo Success. end Numerical comparisons will simply fail if one of the operands is not a number: :: if test 42 -eq "The answer to life, the universe and everything" echo So long and thanks for all the fish # will not be executed end A common comparison is with :envvar:`status`: :: if test $status -eq 0 echo "Previous command succeeded" end The previous test can likewise be inverted: :: if test ! $status -eq 0 echo "Previous command failed" end which is logically equivalent to the following: :: if test $status -ne 0 echo "Previous command failed" end Standards --------- Unlike many things in fish, ``test`` implements a subset of the `IEEE Std 1003.1-2008 (POSIX.1) standard `__. The following exceptions apply: - The ``<`` and ``>`` operators for comparing strings are not implemented. In cases such as this, one can use ``command`` ``test`` to explicitly use the system's standalone ``test`` rather than this ``builtin`` ``test``. See also -------- Other commands that may be useful as a condition, and are often easier to use: - :doc:`string`, which can do string operations including wildcard and regular expression matching - :doc:`path`, which can do file checks and operations, including filters on multiple paths at once