Python Piping 'type' question

Question

>> type countlines.py | python countlines.py

Can someone explain the what "type" does? Does it just type the components of the file out? Can't find any documentation

Answer 1

type is not a Python command. Looks like a shell command. Googling for "man type" if found http://www.manpagez.com/man/1/type/

Answer 2

On windows, 'type' is the equivalent of the 'cat' command on linux, and yes - it just prints out the content of the file.

Answer 3

From the bash man page:

type [-aftpP] name [name ...]
              With  no options, indicate how each name would be interpreted if
              used as a command name.  If the -t option is used, type prints a
              string  which  is  one  of alias, keyword, function, builtin, or
              file if  name  is  an  alias,  shell  reserved  word,  function,
              builtin,  or disk file, respectively.  If the name is not found,
              then nothing  is  printed,  and  an  exit  status  of  false  is
              returned.   If  the  -p  option is used, type either returns the
              name of the disk file that would be executed if name were speci‐
              fied as a command name, or nothing if ``type -t name'' would not
              return file.  The -P option forces a PATH search for each  name,
              even if ``type -t name'' would not return file.  If a command is
              hashed, -p and -P print the hashed value,  not  necessarily  the
              file that appears first in PATH.  If the -a option is used, type
              prints all of the places that contain an executable named  name.
              This  includes  aliases  and  functions,  if  and only if the -p
              option is not also used.  The table of hashed  commands  is  not
              consulted  when  using -a.  The -f option suppresses shell func‐
              tion lookup, as with the command builtin.  type returns true  if
              all of the arguments are found, false if any are not found.