53 lines
1.1 KiB
Markdown
53 lines
1.1 KiB
Markdown
# 📘 **Using the `wc` Command in Linux/Unix**
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`wc` (word count) is a utility that counts lines, words, and bytes or characters in files. It’s useful for quickly getting file size details in text terms.
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---
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## ⚙️ Syntax
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```bash
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wc [option] file
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```
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---
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## 🔎 Basic Usage
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```bash
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wc file
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```
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**Example output:**
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```
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5 6 43 file1
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```
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This output means:
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| Number | Meaning |
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| ------ | ------------------- |
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| `5` | Number of **lines** |
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| `6` | Number of **words** |
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| `43` | Number of **bytes** |
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---
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## 📋 Common Options
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| Option | Description | Example |
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| ------ | ------------------------- | ------------ |
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| `-l` | Count **lines** only | `wc -l file` |
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| `-w` | Count **words** only | `wc -w file` |
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| `-c` | Count **bytes** only | `wc -c file` |
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| `-m` | Count **characters** only | `wc -m file` |
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---
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## 📌 Notes
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* `bytes (-c)` counts raw bytes, which might differ from characters (`-m`) in multibyte encodings like UTF-8.
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* Without options, `wc` outputs lines, words, and bytes by default.
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