The head command¶
The head command prints the first ten lines of a file.
Example: head filename.txt
Syntax: head [OPTION] [FILENAME]
Get a specific number of lines:¶
Use the -n option with a number (should be an integer) of lines to display.
Example: head -n 10 foo.txt
This command will display the first ten lines of the file foo.txt.
Syntax: head -n <number> foo.txt
Additional Flags and their Functionalities¶
| Short Flag | Long Flag | Description |
|---|---|---|
-c | --bytes=[-]NUM | Print the first NUM bytes of each file; with the leading '-', print all but the last NUM bytes of each file |
-n | --lines=[-]NUM | Print the first NUM lines instead of the first 10; with the leading '-', print all but the last NUM lines of each file |
-q | --quiet, --silent | Never print headers giving file names |
-v | --verbose | Always print headers giving file names |
-z | --zero-terminated | Line delimiter is NUL, not newline |
| --help | Display this help and exit |
| --version | Output version information and exit |
Last update: 2022-05-12