whereis is a
command
Command may refer to:
Computing
* Command (computing), a statement in a computer language
* COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS
* Command key, a modifier key on Apple Macintosh computer keyboards
* ...
on
Unix
Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, an ...
and
Unix-like
A Unix-like (sometimes referred to as UN*X or *nix) operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, although not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification. A Unix-li ...
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also i ...
s used to locate some special files of a command like the
binary file
A binary file is a computer file that is not a text file. The term "binary file" is often used as a term meaning "non-text file". Many binary file formats contain parts that can be interpreted as text; for example, some computer document fil ...
, source and
manual page
A man page (short for manual page) is a form of software documentation usually found on a Unix or Unix-like operating system. Topics covered include computer programs (including library and system calls), formal standards and conventions, and ev ...
files. The whereis utility was first included with
2BSD, dating back to 1979.
Syntax
The
whereis man page provides the following sample usage:
% # Find all files in /usr/bin which are not documented in /usr/man/man1 with source in /usr/src:
% cd /usr/bin
% whereis -u -M /usr/man/man1 -S /usr/src -f *
Analogs
The Unix
type command is similar, but it identifies aliases.
Modern versions of
Microsoft Windows feature a similar command:
where.
It's also similar to the
where utility in
Multics
Multics ("Multiplexed Information and Computing Service") is an influential early time-sharing operating system based on the concept of a single-level memory.Dennis M. Ritchie, "The Evolution of the Unix Time-sharing System", Communications of ...
.
See also
*
List of Unix commands
This is a list of Unix commands as specified by IEEE Std 1003.1-2008, which is part of the Single UNIX Specification (SUS). These commands can be found on Unix operating systems and most Unix-like operating systems.
List
See also
* List of G ...
*
command (shell builtin)
*
which (command)
In computing, which is a command for various operating systems used to identify the location of executables. The command is available in Unix and Unix-like systems, the AROS shell, for FreeDOS and for Microsoft Windows. The functionality of the ...
*
type (Unix)
In Unix and Unix-like operating systems, type is a command that describes how its arguments would be interpreted if used as command names.
Function
Where applicable, type will display the command name's path. Possible command types are:
* shell ...
*
hash (Unix)
hash is a command on Unix and Unix-like operating systems that prints the location information for the commands found. The command has also been ported to the IBM i
IBM i (the ''i'' standing for ''integrated'') is an operating system developed ...
References
External links
man page of whereis commandCommand whereis – 10 practical examples
Unix user management and support-related utilities
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