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[={yes,no,tty}]] [--colour[={yes,no,tty}]]	[name...]

DESCRIPTION

     This documentation	is no longer being maintained and may be inaccurate or
     incomplete.  The Texinfo documentation is now the authoritative source.

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

     --color=tty, --colour=tty
	  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=no, --colour=no
	  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.