To check the identity of a single file:
file ReportA ReportA: Frame Maker document
This checks the identity of the file ReportA and reports that this file has been created using the Frame Maker application.
To check the identity of several files:
file * external.c: c program text external.h: c program text mc: sparc demand paged dynamically linked executable mcXThelp: executable shell script mcdemo: executable shell script mchelp: executable shell script mchome: executable shell script mctools: executable shell script
This checks the identity of every file in the current directory. Notice how it reports whether a file is an executable binary or a shell script.