STRING1 > STRING2 (conditional operator)

true if string1 sorts after string2 lexicographically.

> is not included in POSIX. Avoid it if you want to stay compatible with POSIX shells.

Integers are compared with -gt.

Bash

This operator uses the current locale for sorting within a [[ ... ]] construct.

Links

• Bash manual
• Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide

Examples

Different ways to test if a string is sorted after another one:

1 2 3 4

test "$input" > " " && echo "not a special char" [ "$input" > " " ] && echo "not a special char" # Bash [[ "$input" > " " ]] && echo "not a special char"