Is there an alternative to the `which` command?

Question

If the which command is not available, is there another 'standard' method to find out where a command's executable can be found?

If there is no other 'standard' method available, the actual system I face currently is a bare Android emulator with an ash Almquist shell, if that means anything.

See also [Why not use “which”? What to use then?](http://unix.stackexchange.com/q/85249/22565) — Stéphane Chazelas, Apr 23 '14 at 15:14
@StephaneChazelas that may mean my question is a duplicate. I've tried to search for this question but I missed what you linked. thanks! — n611x007, Apr 23 '14 at 16:00
well, the other question is perhaps properly described with that `all you never thought you would ever not want to know about it` - this leaves some room for mine . :) — n611x007, Apr 23 '14 at 20:51

score 24 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 23 '14 at 15:01

24

This should be a standard solution:

type
type -t
type -p

answered Apr 23 '14 at 15:01

Hauke Laging

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you're right, it works, thank you, I forgot `type`. Is there a reference that declares it standard, by the way? like some document at opengroup. If there is, can you link it perhaps? – n611x007 Apr 23 '14 at 15:02
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`type` and `command -V/v` are [standard (Unix, LSB, but optional in POSIX (XSI)](http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/type.html), `type -p` and `type -t` are not. – Stéphane Chazelas Apr 23 '14 at 15:11

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 23 '14 at 20:43

3

You can search the $PATH yourself to find a command:

COMMAND=vim # This is the command  to search for
(IFS=:; for dir in $PATH; do [ -x  $dir/$COMMAND ] && echo $dir/$COMMAND; done)

(this should work in ash and many other Bourne shell derivatives)

answered Apr 23 '14 at 20:43

Johnny

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this is a good option if `[` is included on the target system. – n611x007 Apr 23 '14 at 20:53
If your shell or keyboard doesn't support "[]" (I think ash does), you can replace `[ -x $dir/$COMMAND ]` with `test -x $dir/$COMMAND` (test is a bash/ash built-in, and may also be available as a standalone executable – Johnny Apr 23 '14 at 21:09
:) it's not actually my keyboard, my `ash` on this Android emulator seems *not* to come with either `[` or `test`. I'm not sure if I'm doing anything wrong, the system seems stock and reports `ash` for shell. – n611x007 Apr 23 '14 at 21:22
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I would regard any shell without either `test` or `[`...`]` as unusable for any but the most limited purposes. – iconoclast Nov 18 '14 at 00:04

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 23 '14 at 15:02

2

whereis

Not quite the same, but should give you the binary's location like 'which' does.

answered Apr 23 '14 at 15:02

Ghassan

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good to know, thanks, but it in the current OS it does not work for me – n611x007 Apr 23 '14 at 15:03

Is there an alternative to the `which` command?

3 Answers3

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