ls

list directory contents (POSIX)

Syntax:


ls [-acCdFilqrRstu1] [-bDfghnopSvx] [file...]

Options:

-1
("one") Force output to be one entry per line.
-a
List all files, including those which start with a dot (.). By default, these entries aren't listed.
-b
(QNX extension) Use the size of the file for sorting and printing. Sort in descending order.
-c
For sorting (-t) or printing (-l ("el")), use time of last change to the file's status information instead of time of last modification of the file itself.
-C
Display multiple-column output, with entries sorted down the columns according to the collating sequence.
-d
Treat directories like files-give information on the directory itself, not on the files or subdirectories it contains.
-D
(QNX extension) Display directories only.
-f
(QNX extension) Don't sort the output (same as -S).
-F
Indicate the filetype by adding an extra character after some pathnames, as follows:
CharacterMeaning
/for directories
*for executable files
|for FIFOs (named pipes)
@for named special files (QNX extension)
-g
(QNX extension) List in long format, as in ls -l ("el"), but don't show owner (group is displayed).
-h
(QNX extension) Display a header for the -l ("el") -x and -n options.
-i
For each file, print the file's serial number.
-l
("el") List in long format. This option provides most of the relevant file information such as permissions, link count, owner/group of the file, as well as the size, date, and name of the file, as follows: 

drwxrwxrwx  7 root     techies     22528 Jan 17 15:38 Csrc

-rw-rw-rw-  1 barney   rubble         22 Feb 14 13:41 barney

-rwxrwxrwx  1 root     techies        22 Feb 14 13:41 exec

-rw-rw-rw-  1 fred     flintstone     22 Feb 14 13:41 fred

drwxrwxrwx  2 root     techies     23040 Feb 12 10:56 libtest

drwxrwxrwx  2 root     root         2048 Sep 28 06:39 util
-n
(QNX extension) Same as -l ("el"), except display groupid and userid numbers instead of names.
-o
(QNX extension) List in long format, as in ls -l ("el"), but don't show group (owner is displayed).
-p
(QNX extension) Display a list of relative pathnames for all non-directory files. The files are listed one to a line. This option allows you to pass full pathnames of files to programs.
-q
Force filename characters that aren't included in the character set classification in the current locale to be displayed as a question mark (?). This is the default if output is to a terminal.
-r
Reverse the order of the sort to get either oldest files first (if files are being sorted by time) or reverse collating sequence.
-R
Recursively list all subdirectories encountered.
-s
Display the size of the file in 512-byte blocks.
-S
(QNX extension) Don't sort the output. This option is useful for determining the order in which entries are found in a given directory.
-t
Sort by time modified (most recently modified first) before sorting the files by the collating sequence.
-u
For sorting (-t) or printing (-l ("el")), use time of last access (i.e. last use), instead of time of last modification of the file.
-v
(QNX extension) List directories first.
-x
(QNX extension) Display extent information for a file or directory. Extent information describes how a file is segmented on disk. This option displays information similar to the following example: 

     Size xtnts xblk_1  xsize   xblk Filename

    22528     8 000686  4     000C1A Csrc 

       22     1 00adc3  1     000000 barney

       22     1 00ACD8  1     000000 exec

       22     1 00ADC2  1     000000 fred

    23040    10 004A55  4     005A91 libtests

     2048     1 0013EB  4     000000 util
Note that the text descriptions of the columns are displayed only if the -h option is used.
file
The pathname of a file to be listed. If the file specified isn't found, a diagnostic message is output on standard error. Files are displayed in command-line sequence.

Description:

For each file you name that isn't a directory, ls displays the file's name as well as any information requested on the file.

For each directory you name, ls displays the names of files contained within that directory, as well as any information requested on the files. The -d option overrides this behavior and makes ls display information on the directory itself, rather than on its contents.

If you specify more than one file, ls displays files that aren't directories first. Directories and non-directories are sorted separately.

If you don't specify a file, ls displays the contents of the current directory.

Specifying more than one of the -C, -l ("el"), and -1 ("one") options isn't considered an error. The last option specified determines the output format.

In many environments, the ls command will be "aliased" to either ls -C or ls -CF, the two most common ls display formats. Unless the POSIX_STRICT environment variable is set, ls defaults to the multi-column output (-C option) when its standard output is a tty. When the standard output is not a tty, it defaults to single-column output.

The -p option is useful for passing a list of all non-directory filenames, one filename per line, to other programs. The filenames include the full pathnames.

When displaying a timestamp for a file, ls will display the date and time, unless the file is older or newer than the current date by six months (a "month" is defined as 30 days). Otherwise, ls will display the date and year.

Exit status:

0
All files were listed successfully.
>0
An error occurred.

Environment variables:

COLUMNS
If this variable contains a string representing a decimal integer, it indicates the user's preferred column position width for displaying multiple-column output. The ls utility calculates how many pathname text columns to display (see -C) based on the width provided. If COLUMNS isn't set or is invalid, the number of columns displayed is determined by the type of output device.
POSIX_STRICT
Interpret options according to POSIX specifications.
TZ
Determines the time zone for date and time displays.

See also: