echo

Read text files without an editor: filter lines, keep line numbers and limit output from the beginning or end.

FilesVersion 1.2.3StableAliases: read
lil-terminal

Overview

echo is the fast inspection tool for text that does not need an editor. Search literally or with a regular expression, keep original line numbers in their own column, and limit the result to its first or last matching lines.

Read text without opening an editor

Use echo for quick reading and log or configuration inspection; combine text filters, line numbers and head/tail before opening a full editor.

Syntax

lil-terminal
echo <file> [text] [options]

Reference

echo <file>

show the contents of a text file

echo <file> "text"

show lines containing "text"

-i "text"

search for "text" without letter-case matching

-r "pattern"

search with a PHP regular expression

-n

show all lines with source line numbers

-n <line>

show the numbered source line

-h <lines>

show the first <lines> lines

-t <lines>

show the last <lines> lines

read <file>

alias for echo <file>

Working with results

A quoted term finds matching lines. Add -i to ignore case, or -r for a PHP regular expression. -n shows original line numbers; -n 3 reads only the third physical line, even when blank. -h and -t select the first or last matching lines.

Safety and limits

Binary files are rejected. The reader caps output size and marks truncation; it never changes the file.

Interactive sandbox preview

Run the prepared examples directly on the page. Their results are prebuilt and shown in the browser; no terminal command is executed on the server.

Show the contents of a text file

Install and manage

Install the current compatible version. Choose Base for the complete feature set or Minimum for the reduced package; use upgrade to update a module that is already installed.

Base and Minimum are two packages of the same current module release, not separate command versions.

Base package

Install the complete package with local command reference and every published mode.

install echo
Minimum package

Install the reduced package. Local reference is omitted; help <cmd> -i opens the current server reference.

install echo -m
Exact public version

Install exactly this published version.

install echo -v 1.2.3
Check or update

Ask upgrade to check compatibility and replace the installed block only when needed.

upgrade echo
Remove module

Remove the extension block while leaving the core and unrelated modules intact.

install echo -u

Examples

Examples are copyable command lines, not actions executed by this website. Review paths, permissions and destructive flags before running them on a real project.

Show the contents of a text file
echo \sandbox\data\sample.txt
lil-terminal sandbox text file

This file is safe to read, copy, rename, replace, hash and archive.
Show lines containing "text"
echo \sandbox\data\sample.txt "safe"
This file is safe to read, copy, rename, replace, hash and archive.
Search for "text" without letter-case matching
echo \sandbox\data\sample.txt "SAFE" -i
This file is safe to read, copy, rename, replace, hash and archive.
Search with a PHP regular expression
echo \sandbox\logs\errors.log "/ERROR|WARN/" -r
2026-08-08T09:14:03Z ERROR database timeout after 2.0s
2026-08-08T09:14:05Z WARN retry scheduled in 5s
2026-08-08T09:14:10Z ERROR retry failed: upstream unavailable
Show all lines with source line numbers
echo \sandbox\data\sample.txt -n
1   lil-terminal sandbox text file
2
3   This file is safe to read, copy, rename, replace, hash and archive.
Show the numbered source line
echo \sandbox\data\sample.txt -n 3
3   This file is safe to read, copy, rename, replace, hash and archive.
Show the first <lines> lines
echo \sandbox\data\sample.txt -h 2
lil-terminal sandbox text file
Show the last <lines> lines
echo \sandbox\data\sample.txt -t 2

This file is safe to read, copy, rename, replace, hash and archive.
Alias for echo <file>
read \sandbox\data\sample.txt
lil-terminal sandbox text file

This file is safe to read, copy, rename, replace, hash and archive.

read is a secondary command owned by echo and follows the same module release.

Show the numbered source line
echo \sandbox\data\sample.txt -n 2
2
Show the contents of a text file
echo \sandbox\missing.txt
File not found
Show the first <lines> lines
echo \sandbox\data\sample.txt -h 2 -t 2
?

File used in this example: sandbox/data/sample.txt

The example uses a file or directory from the protected /sandbox/ documentation workspace.

lil-terminal sandbox text file

This file is safe to read, copy, rename, replace, hash and archive.

Related documentation

How are filesystem operations protected? →Why are large files or outputs limited? →

Current public release

v1.2.32026-10-31

Production refinement

Current stable release of echo. Read text files without an editor: filter lines, keep line numbers and limit output from the beginning or end.

# Version history