Is there an alternative to the `which` command? [duplicate]

Question

This question already has answers here:

Why not use "which"? What to use then? (6 answers)

Closed 11 years ago.

If the which command is not available, is there another 'standard' method to find out where a command's executable can be found?

If there is no other 'standard' method available, the actual system I face currently is a bare Android emulator with an ash Almquist shell, if that means anything.

• Stéphane Chazelas: See also Why not use "which"? What to use then?
• n611x007: @StephaneChazelas that may mean my question is a duplicate. I've tried to search for this question but I missed what you linked. thanks!
• n611x007: well, the other question is perhaps properly described with that all you never thought you would ever not want to know about it - this leaves some room for mine . :)

Answer 1

This should be a standard solution:

type
type -t
type -p

• n611x007: you're right, it works, thank you, I forgot type. Is there a reference that declares it standard, by the way? like some document at opengroup. If there is, can you link it perhaps?
• Stéphane Chazelas: type and command -V/v are standard (Unix, LSB, but optional in POSIX (XSI), type -p and type -t are not.

Answer 2

whereis

Not quite the same, but should give you the binary's location like 'which' does.

• n611x007: good to know, thanks, but it in the current OS it does not work for me

Answer 3

You can search the $PATH yourself to find a command:

COMMAND=vim # This is the command to search for
(IFS=:; for dir in $PATH; do [ -x $dir/$COMMAND ] && echo $dir/$COMMAND; done)

(this should work in ash and many other Bourne shell derivatives)

• n611x007: this is a good option if [ is included on the target system.
• Johnny: If your shell or keyboard doesn't support "[]" (I think ash does), you can replace [ -x $dir/$COMMAND ] with test -x $dir/$COMMAND (test is a bash/ash built-in, and may also be available as a standalone executable
• n611x007: :) it's not actually my keyboard, my ash on this Android emulator seems not to come with either [ or test. I'm not sure if I'm doing anything wrong, the system seems stock and reports ash for shell.
• iconoclast: I would regard any shell without either test or [...] as unusable for any but the most limited purposes.