man.postnix Miscellaneous man pages of Plan 9 related material

     FTEST(1)                                                 FTEST(1)

     NAME
          ftest, newer - test file attributes

     SYNOPSIS
          ftest test arg

          newer file1 file2

     DESCRIPTION
          Ftest checks the specified attribute of arg according to
          test and yields an exit status signifying the result.  For
          all tests apart from -t, arg is the name of the file to be
          tested; for -t, it is the number of a file descriptor.
          Available tests are:

          -d   True if the file exists and is a directory.

          -e   True if the file exists.

          -f   True if the file exists and is a regular file.

          -r   True if the file exists and is readable.

          -s   True if the file exists and has non-zero size.

          -t   True if the open file represented by the number arg
               represents the same file as /dev/cons.

          -w   True if the file exists and is writable.

          -x   True if the file exists and is executable.

          Newer checks whether file1 exists and is no older than
          file2, which must also exist; if so, it yields a true exit
          status.  Otherwise, it yields an error status.  Neither file
          may be a directory.

     SOURCE
          /appl/cmd/ftest.b
          /appl/cmd/newer.b

     SEE ALSO
          sys-stat(2)

     BUGS
          These commands work only with sh(1) as none of the other
          Inferno shells can check the exit status of a command.

          Checking for read, write and execute capabilities is specu-
          lative - the file server has the last say.  Group

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     FTEST(1)                                                 FTEST(1)

          permissions are ignored.

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