LS(1)

NAME
ls, dir, vdir - list contents of directories

SYNOPSIS
ls [-abcdfgiklmnpqrstuxABCFGLNQRSUX1] [-w cols] [-T cols] [-I pattern] [--all] [--escape] [--directory] [--inode] [--kilobytes] [--numeric-uid-gid] [--no-group] [--hide-control-chars] [--reverse] [--size] [--width=cols] [--tabsize=cols] [--almost-all] [--ignore-backups] [--classify] [--file-type] [--full-time] [--ignore=pattern] [--dereference] [--literal] [--quote-name] [--recursive] [--sort={none,time,size,extension}] [--format={long,verbose,commas,across,vertical,single-column}] [--time={atime,access,use,ctime,status}] [--help] [--version] [--color[={none,auto,always}]] [--colour[={none,auto,always}]] [name...]

DESCRIPTION
This documentation is no longer being maintained and may be inaccurate or incomplete. The Texinfo documentation is now the authoritative source. Note that the option "--colour" should be read as option "--color" because "--colour" is not supported anymore/right now. More on Debian GNU/Linux specific color support can be found in /usr/doc/fileutils/color-ls.gz.

This manual page documents the GNU version of ls. dir and vdir are versions of ls with different default output formats. These programs list each given file or directory name. Directory contents are sorted alphabetically. For ls, files are by default listed in columns, sorted vertically, if the standard output is a terminal; otherwise they are listed one per line. For dir, files are by default listed in columns, sorted vertically. For vdir, files are by default listed in long format.

  OPTIONS

-a, --all
    List all files in directories, including all files that start with `.'.

-b, --escape
    Quote nongraphic characters in file names using alphabetic and octal backslash sequences like those used in C.

-c, --time=ctime, --time=status
    Sort directory contents according to the files' status change time instead of the modification time. If the long listing format is being used, print the status change time instead of the modification time.

-d, --directory
    List directories like other files, rather than listing their contents.

-f  Do not sort directory contents; list them in whatever order they are stored on the disk. The same as enabling -a and -U and disabling -l, -s, and -t.

--full-time
    List times in full, rather than using the standard abbreviation heuristics.

-g  Ignored; for Unix compatibility.

-i, --inode
    Print the index number of each file to the left of the file name.

-k, --kilobytes
    If file sizes are being listed, print them in kilobytes. This overrides the environment variable POSIXLY_CORRECT.

-l, --format=long, --format=verbose
    In addition to the name of each file, print the file type, permissions, number of hard links, owner name, group name, size in bytes, and timestamp (the modification time unless other times are selected). For files with a time that is more than 6 months old or more than 1 hour into the future, the timestamp contains the year instead of the time of day.

-m, --format=commas
    List files horizontally, with as many as will fit on each line, separated by commas.

-n, --numeric-uid-gid
    List the numeric UID and GID instead of the names.

-p  Append a character to each file name indicating the file type.

-q, --hide-control-chars
    Print question marks instead of nongraphic characters in file names.

-r, --reverse
    Sort directory contents in reverse order.

-s, --size
    Print the size of each file in 1K blocks to the left of the file name. If the environment variable POSIXLY_CORRECT is set, 512-byte blocks are used instead.

-t, --sort=time
    Sort directory contents by timestamp instead of alphabetically, with the newest files listed first.

-u, --time=atime, --time=access, --time=use
    Sort directory contents according to the files' last access time instead of the modification time. If the long listing format is being used, print the last access time instead of the modification time.

-x, --format=across, --format=horizontal
    List the files in columns, sorted horizontally.

-A, --almost-all
    List all files in directories, except for `.' and `..'.

-B, --ignore-backups
    Do not list files that end with `~', unless they are given on the command line.

-C, --format=vertical
    List files in columns, sorted vertically.

-F, --classify
    Append a character to each file name indicating the file type. For regular files that are executable, append a `*'. The file type indicators are `/' for directories, `@' for symbolic links, `|' for FIFOs, `=' for sockets, and nothing for regular files.

-G, --no-group
    Inhibit display of group information in a long format directory listing.

-L, --dereference
    List information for the files linked to by symbolic links instead of listing the contents of the links.

-N, --literal
    Do not quote file names.

-Q, --quote-name
    Enclose file names in double quotes and quote nongraphic characters as in C.

-R, --recursive
    List the contents of all directories recursively.

-S, --sort=size
    Sort directory contents by file size instead of alphabetically, with the largest files listed first.

-U, --sort=none
    Do not sort directory contents; list them in whatever order they are stored on the disk. This option is not called -f because the Unix ls -f option also enables -a and disables -l, -s, and -t. It seems useless and ugly to group those unrelated things together in one option. Since this option doesn't do that, it has a different name.

-X, --sort=extension
    Sort directory contents alphabetically by file extension (characters after the last `.'); files with no extension are sorted first.

-1, --format=single-column
    List one file per line.

-w, --width cols
    Assume the screen is cols columns wide. The default is taken from the terminal driver if possible; otherwise the environment variable COLUMNS is used if it is set; otherwise the default is 80.

-T, --tabsize cols
    Assume that each tabstop is cols columns wide. The default is 8.

-I, --ignore pattern
    Do not list files whose names match the shell pattern pattern unless they are given on the command line. As in the shell, an initial `.' in a filename does not match a wildcard at the start of pattern.

--color, --colour, --color=always, --colour=always
    Colorize the names of files depending on the type of file. See DISPLAY COLORIZATION below.

--color=auto, --colour=auto
    Same as --color but only if standard output is a terminal. This is very useful for shell scripts and command aliases, especially if your favorite pager does not support color control codes.

--color=none, --colour=none
    Disables colorization. This is the default. Provided to override a previous color option.

--help
    Print a usage message on standard output and exit successfully.

--version
    Print version information on standard output then exit successfully.

  DISPLAY COLORIZATION
When using the --color option, this version of ls will colorize the file names printed according to the name and type of file. By default, this colorization is by type only, and the codes used are ISO 6429 (ANSI) compliant.

You can override the default colors by defining the environment variable LS_COLORS (or LS_COLOURS). The format of this variable is reminicent of the termcap(5) file format; a colon-separated list of expressions of the form "xx=string", where "xx" is a two-character variable name. The variables with their associated defaults are:

    no       0       Normal (non-filename) text
    fi       0       Regular file
    di       32      Directory
    ln       36      Symbolic link
    pi       31      Named pipe (FIFO)
    so       33      Socket
    bd       44;37   Block device
    cd       44;37   Character device
    ex       35      Executable file
    mi       (none)  Missing file (defaults to fi)
    or       (none)  Orphanned symbolic link (defaults to ln)
    lc       \e[    Left code
    rc       m       Right code
    ec       (none)  End code (replaces lc+no+rc)

You only need to include the variables you want to change from the default.

File names can also be colorized based on filename extension. This is specified in the LS_COLORS variable using the syntax "*ext=string". For example, using ISO 6429 codes, to color all C-language source files blue you would specify "*.c=34". This would color all files ending in .c in blue (34) color.

Control characters can be written either in C-style \-escaped notation, or in stty-like ^-notation. The C-style notation adds \e for Escape, \_ for a normal space characer, and \? for Delete. In addition, the \ escape character can be used to override the default interpretation of \, ^, : and =.

Each file will be written as <lc> <color code> <rc> <filename> <ec>. If the <ec> code is undefined, the sequence <lc> <no> <rc> will be used instead. This is generally more convenient to use, but less general. The left, right and end codes are provided so you don't have to type common parts over and over again and to support weird terminals; you will generally not need to change them at all unless your terminal does not use ISO 6429 color sequences but a different system.

If your terminal does use ISO 6429 color codes, you can compose the type codes (i.e. all except the lc, rc, and ec codes) from numerical commands separated by semicolons. The most common commands are:

     0     to restore default color
     1     for brighter colors
     4     for underlined text
     5     for flashing text
    30     for black foreground
    31     for red foreground
    32     for green foreground
    33     for yellow (or brown) foreground
    34     for blue foreground
    35     for purple foreground
    36     for cyan foreground
    37     for white (or gray) foreground
    40     for black background
    41     for red background
    42     for green background
    43     for yellow (or brown) background
    44     for blue background
    45     for purple background
    46     for cyan background
    47     for white (or gray) background

Not all commands will work on all systems or display devices.

A few terminal programs do not recognize the default end code properly. If all text gets colorized after you do a directory listing, try changing the no and fi codes from 0 to the numerical codes for your standard fore- and background colors.

BUGS
On BSD systems, the -s option reports sizes that are half the correct values for files that are NFS-mounted from HP-UX systems. On HP-UX systems, it reports sizes that are twice the correct values for files that are NFS-mounted from BSD systems. This is due to a flaw in HP-UX; it also affects the HP-UX ls program.

If there was a single standard for the English language it would not be necessary to support redundant spellings.