STRINGS linux command manual

STRINGS(1)                  GNU Development Tools                  STRINGS(1)



NAME
       strings - print the strings of printable characters in files.

SYNOPSIS
       strings [-afov] [-min-len]
               [-n min-len] [--bytes=min-len]
               [-t radix] [--radix=radix]
               [-e encoding] [--encoding=encoding]
               [-] [--all] [--print-file-name]
               [--target=bfdname]
               [--help] [--version] 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 followed by an unprintable character.
       By default, it only prints the strings from the initialized and loaded
       sections  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
       -a
       --all
       -   Do  not  scan  only  the initialized and loaded sections 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 program usage on the  standard  output  and
           exit.

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

       -o  Like -t o.  Some other versions of strings have -o act like  -t  d
           instead.  Since we can not be compatible with both ways, we simply
           chose one.

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

       -e encoding
       --encoding=encoding
           Select the character encoding of the strings that are to be found.
           Possible values for encoding are: s = single-7-bit-byte characters
           (ASCII, ISO 8859, etc., default), S  =  single-8-bit-byte  charac-
           ters,  b  =  16-bit bigendian, l = 16-bit littleendian, B = 32-bit
           bigendian, L = 32-bit littleendian. Useful for finding wide  char-
           acter strings.

       --target=bfdname
           Specify  an  object  code  format other than your system's default
           format.

       -v
       --version
           Print the program version number on the standard output and  exit.

SEE ALSO
       ar(1),  nm(1),  objdump(1), ranlib(1), readelf(1) and the Info entries
       for binutils.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (c) 1991, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2000, 2001,  2002,
       2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

       Permission  is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
       under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1  or
       any  later  version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
       Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no  Back-Cover
       Texts.   A  copy  of  the  license is included in the section entitled
       ''GNU Free Documentation License''.



binutils-2.15.90.0.3              2004-05-04                       STRINGS(1)