echo command in Linux with Examples

---

Name

echo - display a line of text

Synopsis

echo [SHORT-OPTION]... [STRING]...
echo LONG-OPTION

Description

The echo is a bash builtin command that is used to echo the string(s) to the standard output. command that is used to echo the string(s) to the standard output.

Options

The program accepts the following options.

-n    do not output the trailing newline

-e    enable interpretation of backslash escapes

-E    disable interpretation of backslash escapes (default)

--help display this help and exit

--version
   output version information and exit

If -e is in effect, the following sequences are recognized:

\\     backslash

\a     alert (BEL)

\b     backspace

\c     produce no further output

\e     escape

\f     form feed

\n     new line

\r     carriage return

\t     horizontal tab

\v     vertical tab

\0NNN  byte with octal value NNN (1 to 3 digits)

\xHH   byte with hexadecimal value HH (1 to 2 digits)

Examples

echo a list of strings on command line.

$ echo "Shambhavi Vidya"
Shambhavi Vidya
$ 
$ echo "Shambhavi \nVidya"
Shambhavi \nVidya
$    

-e option enables the interpretation of backslash escape sequences inside the strings.

\n option creats a newline from where it is used.

$ echo -e "Shree \nLaxmi"
Shree 
Laxmi

String Laxmi is printed after the newline.

-n option suppresses the output trailing new line.

$ echo -n -e "Shree \nLaxmi"
Shree 
Laxmi$ 

After the last string Laxmi, the newline has been suppressed and command prompt $ appears on the same line immediately after the string Laxmi ends.

Using the option \b inside the string removes the whitespace between the strings.

$ echo -e "Shree \bLaxmi"
ShreeLaxmi

Display output of a command in echo's argument. Use $(command) option of bash shell to show current date.

$ echo "The date is: $(date)"
The date is: Wed Mar 24 20:18:00 IST 2021
$ echo "The date is: $(date +%D)"
The date is: 03/24/21

Use \n\v simultaneously inside a string to print string on a new line and skip one line.

$ echo -e "\n\vTutorials\n\vPoint\n\vis\n\vhosting\n\velearning\n\vcontet"


Tutorials

Point

is

hosting

elearning

contet
$ 

Use \uXXXX option inside a string to display unicode character. Unicode value of Hindi character क is 0915, म is 092e and ल is 0932.

$ echo -e 'my name is \u0915\u092e\u0932'
my name is कमल
$