strings(1) - NetBSD Manual Pages

strings(1)            GNU Development Tools            strings(1)



NAME

       strings  -  print  the  strings of printable characters in
       files



SYNOPSIS

       strings
              [-a|-|--all] [-f|--print-file-name] [-o] [--help]
              [-v|--version] [-n
              min-len|-min-len|--bytes=min-len] [-t
              {o,x,d}[--target=bfdname] |--radix={o,x,d}] file


DESCRIPTION

       For  each  file  given,  GNU  strings prints the printable
       character sequences that are at least  4  characters  long
       (or  the number given with the options below) and are fol-
       lowed by an unprintable character.  By  default,  it  only
       prints  the  strings  from the initialized and loaded sec-
       tions of object files; for other types of files, it prints
       the strings from the whole file.


       strings  is  mainly useful for determining the contents of
       non-text files.



OPTIONS

       The long and short forms of options, shown here as  alter-
       natives, are equivalent.


       -a

       --all

       -      Do  not  scan  only the initialized and loaded sec-
              tions of object files; scan the whole files.


       -f

       --print-file-name
              Print the name of the file before each string.


       --help Print a summary of the options to  strings  on  the
              standard output and exit.


       -v

       --version
              Print the version number of strings on the standard
              output and exit.



Free Software Foundation  09 March 2000                         1





strings(1)            GNU Development Tools            strings(1)


       -n min-len

       -min-len

       --bytes=min-len
              Print sequences of characters  that  are  at  least
              min-len  characters long, instead of the default 4.


       -t {o,x,d}

       --radix={o,x,d}
              Print  the  offset  within  the  file  before  each
              string.   The  single  character argument specifies
              the radix of  the  offset--octal,  hexadecimal,  or
              decimal.


       --target=bfdname
              Specify  an object code format other than your sys-
              tem's default format.  See objdump(1), for informa-
              tion on listing available formats.


       -o     Like -t o.





SEE ALSO

       `binutils' entry in info; The GNU Binary Utilities, Roland
       H. Pesch (October 1991); ar(1),  nm(1),  objdump(1),  ran-
       lib(1).




COPYING

       Copyright (c) 1993, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

       This  document  is  distributed under the terms of the GNU
       Free Documentation License, version 1.1.  That license  is
       described  in  the sources for this manual page, but it is
       not displayed here in order to make this manual more  con-
       sise.   Copies  of this license can also be obtained from:
       http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/.












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