Re: Use of |&

[Greg Wooledge]

On Mon, Feb 13, 2023 at 03:22:01PM +0000, goncholden via wrote:
> Have seen the use of "|&" rather than the usual "|".  What is the reason for 
> using
> 
> "|&" exactly ?

This is one of the easier things to find in the manual.

   Pipelines
       A pipeline is a sequence of one or more commands separated  by  one  of
       the control operators | or |&.  The format for a pipeline is:

              [time [-p]] [ ! ] command [ [|⎪|&] command2 ... ]

       The  standard output of command is connected via a pipe to the standard
       input of command2.  This connection is performed  before  any  redirec‐
       tions specified by the command (see REDIRECTION below).  If |& is used,
       command's standard error, in addition to its standard output,  is  con‐
       nected  to  command2's standard input through the pipe; it is shorthand
       for 2>&1 |.

I don't use it, nor do I recommend it.  I'd prefer to stick with 2>&1 |
because that'll work everywhere, and won't confuse the reader (as much,
one hopes).