Bash echo Command - Display Text

Using the echo Command

The echo command is used to show a line of text or a variable's value in the terminal.

Basic Usage

To display a simple message, use echo "message":

echo "Hello, World!"
Hello, World!

Options Overview

The echo command has several options to customize its output:

• -n - Don't add a new line at the end
• -e - Allow special characters like \n for new lines
• -E - Don't allow special characters (default)

-n Option: No Trailing Newline

The -n option prevents echo from adding a newline at the end of the output.

This is useful when you want to continue output on the same line.

echo -n "Hello,";echo " World!"
Hello, World!

-e Option: Enable Backslash Escapes

The -e option enables the use of backslash escapes like \n for new lines, \t for tabs, etc.

This allows for more formatted output.

echo -e "Hello\nWorld!"
Hello
World!

-E Option: Disable Backslash Escapes

The -E option disables the use of backslash escapes, which is the default behavior.

This ensures that the text is output exactly as typed.

echo -E "Hello\nWorld!"
Hello\nWorld!

Using echo in Scripts

The echo command is often used in scripts for debugging or logging information. It helps you see what's happening in your script by printing messages to the terminal.

#!/bin/bash
echo "Starting the script..."
# Your script commands here
echo "Script finished."