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look command in Linux with Examples

look command in Linux with Examples

Last Updated : 06 Oct, 2024

The look command in Linux is used to display lines that begin with a specified string. It is especially useful for searching through large files or lists, as it helps you locate entries efficiently. By default, the look command performs case-insensitive matches and searches for exact prefixes. The look command in Linux shows the lines beginning with a given string. This command also uses binary search if the file is sorted. If the file is not specified, the file "/usr/share/dict/words" is used. Then only the alphanumeric characters are compared and the case of alphabetic characters is ignored.

Syntax
look [OPTION]... STRING [FILE]

where,

Basic Example Commonly Used Options with the look Command

Option

Description

-f, --ignore-case

Ignore case distinctions

-d, --alphanum

Search using only alphanumeric characters

-t, --terminate

Limit search by specifying a termination character

--version

Display version information

1. -[string]:

This option is used to search for the given string in a specified file.

Example:

look "include" Assignment.c
2. -f:

This option is used to ignore case of alphabetic character.

Example:

look -f ab words
3. -t:

This option is used to specify a string termination character, i.e., only the characters in string up to and including the first occurrence of character are compared.

Example:

look -t b abu words
4. -d:

This option is used to compare only alphanumeric characters.

Example:

look -d ab words
5. -h:

This option is used to show the help message and exit.

Example:

look -h
6. -V:

This option is used to show the version information and exit.

Example:

look -V
Conclusion

The look command is a powerful tool for quickly searching through large files or lists for lines that begin with a specified string. It provides options to make searches case-insensitive, limit the search scope, or focus on alphanumeric characters. Whether you're working with dictionaries or custom files, look can be a valuable utility in your Linux command-line toolkit.



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