echo

echo [-n ] [string ]

Write string to standard output; if -n is specified, the output is not terminated by a newline. If no string is supplied, echo a newline. In the Korn shell, echo is built-in, and it emulates the system's real echo command.[2 ] (See also echo in Chapter 2 .) echo understands special escape characters, which must be quoted (or escaped with a \) to prevent interpretation by the shell:

[2] But, if a path search finds /usr/bin/echo , the ksh built-in echo doesn't accept the -n option. (The situation with echo is a mess; consider using printf instead.)

\a

Alert (ASCII BEL). (Not in /bin/sh 's echo .)

\b

Backspace.

\c

Suppress the terminating newline (same as -n ).

\f

Formfeed.

\n

Newline.

\r

Carriage return.

\t

Tab character.

\v

Vertical-tab character.

\\

Backslash.

\0 nnn

ASCII character represented by octal number nnn , where nnn is one, two, or three digits and is preceded by a 0.

Examples

$ echo "testing printer" | lp


$ echo "Warning: ringing bell \a"