Definition: type

(1) A category of data. See data type.

(2) To press the keys on a keyboard.




Try Typing on These Keys!




(3) An internal DOS/Windows command that displays the contents of text and batch files as in the following examples:

  type abc.txt          entire contents

  type abc.txt | more   per screenful

The vertical bar is a "pipe" and MORE is a "filter." A pipe passes output from one function to another. Thus, you are piping the output of the Type command to the MORE filter, which pauses after receiving a screenful of data and waits for a key to be pressed. See filters and pipes.

Weird Characters on Screen?
The Type command is for viewing .TXT, .BAT and .CMD files that are regular text. If you use Type with an .EXE, .SYS or other binary file, a strange combination of characters will be displayed along with beeps and erratic motion (see below). Binary files coincidentally trigger sounds and screen functions because their formats randomly match the first 32 characters in the ASCII table, which are control codes (see ASCII chart). See binary file.

Using Type on a Binary File

If the Type command is used to display a non-text file, these are the results.