Next 15.C: Redirection Up 15: File Utilities Prev 15.A: Viewing Files with head Contents
Specialized

§ 15.B: The cat Command

The cat (concatenate) command is an exceptionally versatile command. First let's look at a familiar use, viewing. To use the cat command to view a file simply type cat followed by the filename. Try:
> cd ~
> cat .forward

If you created your .forward file in the e-mail section, Unix should display your e-mail address Although cat, view and more can all be used to view files, it is recommended that you only use cat for very short files and use view or more for longer files.

Cat in combination with the special symbols <, >, >> and | can be used for several other purposes which you will learn about over the next several sections.

Next 15.C: Redirection Up 15: File Utilities Prev 15.A: Viewing Files with head Contents
Comments and questions to Dr. Elias N. Houstis at enh@cs.purdue.edu.