file -- Command

Guess a file's type
file file ...

file examines each  file and takes an educated guess  as to its type.  file
recognizes the  following classes of  text files: files of  commands to the
shell; files  containing the source for a C  program; files containing yacc
or lex source;  files containing assembly language source; files containing
unformatted documents  that can  be passed to  nroff; and plain  text files
that fit into none of the above categories.

file recognizes the following classes of non-text or binary data files: the
various  forms of  archives,  object files,  and link  modules for  various
machines, and miscellaneous binary data files.

See Also

commands,
ls,
size

Notes

Because file  only reads a set  amount of data to determine  the class of a
text file, mistakes can happen.

© 2012 by Stephen A. Ness