---
name: "shtool-echo"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "shtool"
version: "2.0.8-10"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/shtool-echo"
---

# shtool-echo(1)

GNU shtool echo(1) extensional command

## NAME

shtool-echo - GNU shtool [echo(1)](/echo/1.md) extensional command

## SYNOPSIS

**shtool echo** \[**-n**\|**--newline**\] \[**-e**\|**--expand**\] *string*

## DESCRIPTION

**shtool echo** is an [**echo**(1)](/echo/1.md) style command which prints *string* to *stdout* and optionally provides special expansion constructs (terminal bold mode, environment details, date, etc) and newline control. The trick of this command is that it provides a portable **-n** option and hides the gory details needed to find out the environment details under option **-e**.

## OPTIONS

The following command line options are available.

- **-n**, **--newline**

  By default, output is written to *stdout* followed by a "newline" (ASCII character 0x0a). If option **-n** is used, this newline character is omitted.

- **-e**, **--expand**

  If option **-e** is used, *string* can contain special "**%***x*" constructs which are expanded before the output is written. Currently the following constructs are recognized:

  - **%B**

    switch terminal mode to bold display mode.

  - **%b**

    switch terminal mode back to normal display mode.

  - **%u**

    the current user name.

  - **%U**

    the current user id (numerical).

  - **%g**

    the current group name.

  - **%G**

    the current group id (numerical).

  - **%h**

    the current hostname (without any domain extension).

  - **%d**

    the current domain name.

  - **%D**

    the current day of the month.

  - **%M**

    the current month (numerical).

  - **%m**

    the current month name.

  - **%Y**

    the current year.

## EXAMPLE

```
 #   shell script
 shtool echo -n -e "Enter your name [%B%u%b]: "; read name
 shtool echo -e "Your Email address might be %u@%h%d"
 shtool echo -e "The current date is %D-%m-%Y"
```

## HISTORY

The **GNU shtool** **echo** command was originally written by Ralf S. Engelschall \<rse@engelschall.com\> in 1998 for *Website META* *Language* (WML) under the name **buildinfo**. It was later taken over into **GNU shtool**.

## SEE ALSO

[**shtool**(1)](/shtool/1.md), [**echo**(1)](/echo/1.md).