⊕ Usage

command [ -p ] program [ arguments ... ]

⊕ Purpose

 

To bypass the shell's inclusion of functions in the search for commands to run. This allows access to built-in versions of commands from functions with the same name as the built-in command.

⊕ Major options

 

-p

 

When searching for commands, use a default value of $PATH that is guaranteed to find the system's utilities.

⊕ Behavior

 

command finds the named program by looking for special and regular built-ins, and then searching along $PATH. With the -p option, it uses a default value for $PATH, instead of the current setting.

 

When program is a special built-in command, any syntax errors do not abort the shell, and any preceding variable assignments do not remain in effect after the command has finished.

⊕ Caveats

 

The command built-in command is not a special built-in command. Woe be to the shell programmer who defines a function named command!