echo -- Command

Repeat/expand an argument
echo [-n] [argument ...]

echo prints  each argument on the standard output,  placing a space between
each argument. It appends a newline  to the end of the output unless the -n
flag is present.

echo  recognizes  the  following  special  character sequences.   For  each
occurrence  of  the   sequence,  it  substitutes  the  corresponding  ASCII
character.

          \b        Backspace
          \c        Print line without a newline (like -n option)
          \f        Formfeed
          \n        Newline
          \r        Carriage return
          \t        Tab
          \v        Vertical tab
          \\        Backslash
          \0nnn     nnn is octal value of character (sh only)
          \nnn      nnn is the octal value of character (ksh only)

For example, when you enter the command:

    echo 'Please enter your name: \007\c'

The shell rings the bell and prints

    Please enter your name:

on your  screen.  Note that the  \007 sequence causes the  terminal bell to
sound, and  that since the  \c sequence was  specified, the cursor  will be
left positioned after the colon.

See Also

commands,
ksh,
sh

Notes

Under the Korn shell, echo is an alias for its built-in command print.

Please  note that  echo  converts characters  to  spaces.  If  you wish  to
preseve  tab characters  in an  echoed string, you  must enclose  it within
quotation marks.  For example, the command

    echo $RECORD

displays:

    7 5 175 875

whereas the command

    echo "$RECORD"

displays:

    7   5   175 875

This  is important  when  you use  echo  with programs  for  which the  tab
character is significant.

© 2012 by Stephen A. Ness