Linux in a Nutshell, Third Edition

Name

which

Synopsis

which [options] [--] [command] [...]

Description

List the full pathnames of the files that would be executed if the named commands had been run. which searches the user’s $PATH environment variable. The C shell and tcsh have a built-in which command that has no options. To use the options, specify the full pathname (e.g., /usr/bin/which).

Options

-a, --all

Print all matches, not just the first.

-i, --read-alias

Read aliases from standard input and write matches to standard output. Useful for using an alias for which.

--skip-alias

Ignore --read-alias if present. Useful for finding normal binaries while using --read-alias in an alias for which.

--skip-dot

Skip directories that start with a dot.

--skip-tilde

Skip directories that start with a tilde (~) and executables in $HOME.

--show-dot

If a matching command is found in a directory that starts with a dot, print ./cmdname instead of the full pathname.

--show-tilde

Print a tilde (~) to indicate the user’s home directory. Ignored if the user is root.

--tty-only

Stop processing options on the right if not on a tty.

-v, -V, --version

Print version information and then exit.

Example

$ which cc ls
/usr/bin/cc
ls:      aliased to ls -sFC