Ls
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and look for all files that begin with '''name'''. But why waste your time going over each entry? | and look for all files that begin with '''name'''. But why waste your time going over each entry? | ||
dave@samizdata% '''ls -la | grep name''' | dave@samizdata% '''ls -la | grep name''' | ||
| − | will give you a long list of all files that contain the string ''' | + | will give you a long list of all files that contain the string |
| + | |||
| + | ==Colorized ls== | ||
| + | If you want a colorized '''ls''' output -- directories in blue, files in green, executables in red, etc -- you'll want to make an alias for ls to '''ls -G''' in your shell configuration file. | ||
[[Category:System Commands]] | [[Category:System Commands]] | ||
Revision as of 17:56, 31 July 2005
Equivalent to Windows' dir. ls is commonly used with flags or switches to alter its behaviour and/or output. Flags can be given as separate switches (ls -a -l /etc/) but can be combined to make things faster (ls -la). ls takes pretty much the whole alphabet as a flag, but you'll likely never need or want to use more than say 5 or 6 different flags.
Most common flags:
-a -- lists all files, including hidden files -l -- gives long listing, including permissions, owner, group and size -F -- shows a slash (/) immediately after each directory, an asterisk (*) after executable files, an at sign (@) after symbolic links, an equals sign (=) after sockets, a percent sign (%) after whiteouts, and a pipe (|) after a FIFO. -R -- list subdirectories encountered recursively -h -- When used with the -l option, use unit suffixes for sizes so as to make them human-readable. No, Virgina, you do not need to count everything in bytes. -c -- sort files by the last time file state was changed/modified -u -- sort files by the last time the file was accessed -G -- colorize output (different colors for different types of files)
Using ls with other programs
ls can (and is) used in conjunction with grep by using a pipe to send ls output -- which can easily fill your screen with enough entries to make you cross-eyed -- to more easily find what you're looking for. To give an example, let's say you're looking for a file that begins with name in your /etc directory. Doing an ls /etc gives you far too many entries and ls -l the same thing but scrolling past you even faster. You could do a
dave@samizdata% ls | more
and look for all files that begin with name. But why waste your time going over each entry?
dave@samizdata% ls -la | grep name
will give you a long list of all files that contain the string
Colorized ls
If you want a colorized ls output -- directories in blue, files in green, executables in red, etc -- you'll want to make an alias for ls to ls -G in your shell configuration file.
