STRINGS(1)                 OpenBSD Reference Manual                 STRINGS(1)

NAME
     strings - find printable strings in a file

SYNOPSIS
     strings [-afo] [-n number] [-m number] [-t radix] [file ...]

DESCRIPTION
     strings displays the sequences of printable characters in each of the
     specified files, or in the standard input, by default.  By default, a se-
     quence must be at least four characters in length before being displayed.

     The options are as follows:

     -a      By default, strings only searches the text and data segments of
             object files.  The -a option causes strings to search the entire
             object file.

     -f      Each string is preceded by the name of the file in which it was
             found.

     -n number
             Specifies the minimum number of characters in a sequence to be
             number, instead of four.

     -m number
             Specifies the maximum number of characters in a sequence to be
             number, instead of unlimited.

     -o      Each string is preceded by its octal offset in the file.

     -t radix
             Each string is preceded by its offset in the file.  The first
             character of radix determines the radix of the offset: `o' for
             octal; `d' for decimal; or `x' for hexadecimal.

     strings is useful for identifying random binaries, among other things.

SEE ALSO
     hexdump(1), od(1)

COMPATIBILITY
     Historic implementations of strings only search the initialized data por-
     tion of the object file.  This was reasonable as strings were normally
     stored there.  Given new compiler technology which installs strings in
     the text portion of the object file, the default behavior was changed.

STANDARDS
     The strings utility conforms to IEEE Std1003.2-1992 (``POSIX.2'').

HISTORY
     The strings utility appeared in 3.0BSD.

BUGS
     The algorithm for identifying strings is extremely primitive.  In partic-
     ular, machine code instructions on certain architectures can resemble se-
     quences of ASCII bytes, which will fool the algorithm.

OpenBSD 3.0                      June 6, 1993                                1
