bash Cookbook

echo Options and Escape Sequences

echo accepts a number of arguments (see Table A-11).

Table A-11. echo options

Options	Function
-e	Turns on the interpretation of backslash-escaped characters
-E	Turns off the interpretation of backslash-escaped characters on systems where this mode is the default
-n	Omits the final newline (same as the \c escape sequence)

echo accepts a number of escape sequences that start with a backslash.

These sequences in Table A-12 exhibit fairly predictable behavior, except for \f, which on some displays causes a screen clear while on others it causes a line feed, and it ejects the page on most printers. \v is somewhat obsolete; it usually causes a line feed.

Table A-12. echo escape sequences

Sequence	Character printed
\a	Alert or Ctrl-G (bell)
\b	Backspace or Ctrl-H
\c	Omit final newline
\e	Escape character (same as \E)
\E	Escape character
\f	Formfeed or Ctrl-L
\n	Newline (not at end of command) or Ctrl-J
\r	Return (Enter) or Ctrl-M
\t	Tab or Ctrl-I
\v	Vertical Tab or Ctrl-K
\n nnn	The eight-bit character whose value is the octal (base-8) value nnn where nnn is 1 to 3 digits
\0 nnn	The eight-bit character whose value is the octal (base-8) value nnn where nnn is 0 to 3 digits
\xHH	The eight-bit character whose value is the hexadecimal (base-16) value HH (one or two digits)
\\	Single backslash

The \n, \0, and \x sequences are even more device-dependent and can be used for complex I/O, such as cursor control and special graphics characters.