Parsing File Metadata

The file Utility

On Unix-like systems (e.g. macOS, Linux, BSD), the file utility can determine file types by examining their metadata:

(iso.venv) analyst@lab_vm iso.venv % file statem~1.doc 
statem~1.doc: Microsoft Word 2007+
(iso.venv) analyst@lab_vm iso.venv % file statem~1.lnk 
statem~1.lnk: MS Windows shortcut, Item id list present, Points to a file or directory, Has command line arguments, Icon number=0, Archive, ctime=Fri Apr  9 19:50:46 2021, mtime=Wed Oct  5 04:38:35 2022, atime=Fri Apr  9 19:50:46 2021, length=452608, window=hidenormalshowminimized
(iso.venv) analyst@lab_vm iso.venv % file install.ps
install.ps: ASCII text, with very long lines (12834), with CRLF line terminators

This is especially useful when trying to identify files for which the original filenames have been lost, or whose filenames have been intentionally obfuscated.

Windows users can use a Windows-specific port of the file utility, or use the Cygwin bundle, in which the file utility is bundled.