TYPE: Displays the contents of a text file.

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.3693]
(c) Copyright 1985-2023 Microsoft Corp.

C:\\WINDOWS>

Displays the contents of a text file or files.

TYPE [drive:][path]filename

The `TYPE` command in Windows Command Prompt is used to display the contents of text files on the screen. Here are some examples of using the `TYPE` command: Example 1: Displaying the contents of a text file:

TYPE example.txt

Description: This command displays the contents of the text file "Example.txt" on the screen. Example 2: Displaying multiple text files:

TYPE File1.txt File2.txt

Description: Here the contents of the text files "File1.txt" and "File2.txt" are displayed on the screen. Example 3: Displaying the content with redirection:

TYPE Example.txt > Output.txt

Description: The command redirects the contents of the text file "Example.txt" to a new file called "Output.txt". Example 4: Displaying content with numbered lines:

TYPE /N Example.txt

Description: The `/N` option adds numbered lines to the displayed text. Example 5: Displaying the content with paginated output:

TYPE Example.txt | MORE

Description: The `MORE` statement is used to display the text page by page, which can be useful if the file is very long. Example 6: Displaying the contents of all text files in the current directory:

TYPE *.txt

Description: The command displays the contents of all text files in the current directory that have the extension ".txt". Example 7: Displaying the contents of a text file with special characters:

TYPE "File with spaces.txt"

Description: If the file name contains spaces, the path should be enclosed in quotation marks. It is important to note that `TYPE` is primarily used for displaying the contents of text files. It is not suitable for binary files such as executable programs or images. The `MORE` command is more suitable for such files. You can use `TYPE /?` in the command prompt to get help and a list of available options for the `TYPE` command.

There are a few points to note when using the `TYPE` command in the Windows Command Prompt: 1. Text files: `TYPE` is designed to display the contents of text files. It works best with files that can be opened in a text editor like Notepad. For binary files or special formats, the output may be unreadable. 2. Quotation marks for filenames with spaces: If the filename contains spaces, enclose the file path in quotation marks to ensure it is interpreted correctly. Example:

    TYPE "File with spaces.txt"
    

3. Performance Considerations: `TYPE` is best suited for displaying small to medium sized text files. Performance issues may occur with very large files. In such cases a pagination program such as `MORE` could be used. Example:

    TYPE LargeFile.txt | MORE
    

4. Options for additional display options: The `TYPE` command provides some options like `/N` (numbered lines), `/P` (paged display), `/W` (wrapped display) and others. You can type `TYPE /?` to see the available options. 5. Output redirection: You can redirect the output of `TYPE` to another file if you want to save the file contents to a new file. Example:

    TYPE Example.txt > NewFile.txt
    

6. Support for UTF-8: `TYPE` displays the contents of text files in ASCII format by default. If the file is in UTF-8 format, the output may not be displayed correctly. In this case you could use a tool like `more` which has better support for UTF-8. Example:

    more < example.txt
    

It is important to note that `TYPE` is intended more for simple display purposes and does not provide the advanced features of a text editor. For more advanced tasks, you could use more specialized tools or text editors.