whence [ -vcwfm ] name ...
For each name, indicate how it would be interpreted if used as a command name.
Option | Description |
---|---|
-v |
Produce a more verbose report. |
-c |
Print the results in a csh-like format. This takes precedence over -v. |
-w |
For each name, print name: word where word is one of alias, builtin, command, functions, reserved or none, according as name corresponds to an alias, a built-in command, an external command, a shell function, a reserved word, or is not recognised. This takes precedence over -v and -c. |
-f |
Causes the contents of a shell function to be displayed, which would otherwise not happen unless the -c flag were used. |
-m |
The arguments are taken as patterns (should be quoted), and the information is displayed for each command matching one of these patterns. |
Note: Due to capability limitations of Zsh, external commands are not recognised by the whence command and its derivatives.