STRINGS(1) STRINGS(1)

NAME
       strings - find the printable strings in a object, or other binary, file

SYNOPSIS
       ssttrriinnggss [ - ] [ -aa ] [ -oo ] [ -tt format ] [ -number ]  [  -nn  number  ]
       [-] [file ...]

DESCRIPTION
       Strings  looks  for  ASCII  strings in a binary file or standard input.
       Strings is useful for identifying random object files  and  many  other
       things.   A  string is any sequence of 4 (the default) or more printing
       characters ending with a newline or a  null.   Unless  the  -  flag  is
       given,  strings  looks  in  all sections of the object files except the
       (TEXT,text) section.  If no files are specified standard  input  is
       read.

       The  file arguments may be of the form libx.a(foo.o), to request infor-
       mation about only that object file and not the entire library.   (Typi-
       cally  this  argument must be quoted, ``libx.a(foo.o)'', to get it past
       the shell.)

       The options to strings(1) are:

       -aa     This option causes strings to look for strings in  all  sections
              of the object file (including the (TEXT,text) section.

       -      This  option  causes strings to look for strings in all bytes of
              the files (the default for non-object files).

       --     This option causes strings to treat all the following  arguments
              as files.

       -oo     Preceded each string by its offset in the file (in decimal).

       -tt format
              Write  each string preceded by its byte offset from the start of
              the file.  The format shall be dependent on the single character
              used as the format option-argument:

       d      The offset shall be written in decimal.

       o      The offset shall be written in octal.

       x      The offset shall be written in hexadecimal.

       -number
              The  decimal  number is used as the minimum string length rather
              than the default of 4.

       -nn number
              Specify the minimum string length, where the number argument  is
              a positive decimal integer. The default shall be 4.

       -aarrcchh archtype
              Specifies   the   architecture,   archtype,  of  the  file  for
              strings(1) to operate on when the  file  is  a  universal  file.
              (See  arch(3) for the currently know archtypes.)  The archtype
              can be "all" to operate on all architectures in the file,  which
              is the default.

SEE ALSO
       od(1)

BUGS
       The algorithm for identifying strings is extremely primitive.



Apple Computer, Inc.          September 11, 2006                    STRINGS(1)