What do the symbols displayed by ls -F mean?
I noticed that if I run ls -F on a directory, some of the entries have a * or a @ after them.
spuder@ubuntu:~$ ls -F /sbin
acpi_available* getpcaps* lvmconf* ntfscp* start-stop-daemon*
agetty* getty* lvmdiskscan@ ntfslabel* status@
alsa* halt@ lvmdump* ntfsresize* stop@
alsactl* hdparm* lvmsadc@
spuder@ubuntu:~$ ls -F ~
daq-0.6.1/ examples.desktop noname-cache.lib snort-2.9.1/ Templates/
Desktop/ jpgraph-1.27.1/ noname.sch snortfiles/ Ubuntu One/
Documents/
According to the ls man pages
spuder@ubuntu:~$ man ls
...
-F, --classify
append indicator (one of */=>@|) to entries
...
I'm guessing that @ means symbolic link,
What do these other indicators mean ( */=>@| ) ?
ls
asked Jul 9 '13 at 16:30
spuderspuder
6,6712571106
|
show 5 more comments
I noticed that if I run ls -F on a directory, some of the entries have a * or a @ after them.
spuder@ubuntu:~$ ls -F /sbin
acpi_available* getpcaps* lvmconf* ntfscp* start-stop-daemon*
agetty* getty* lvmdiskscan@ ntfslabel* status@
alsa* halt@ lvmdump* ntfsresize* stop@
alsactl* hdparm* lvmsadc@
spuder@ubuntu:~$ ls -F ~
daq-0.6.1/ examples.desktop noname-cache.lib snort-2.9.1/ Templates/
Desktop/ jpgraph-1.27.1/ noname.sch snortfiles/ Ubuntu One/
Documents/
According to the ls man pages
spuder@ubuntu:~$ man ls
...
-F, --classify
append indicator (one of */=>@|) to entries
...
I'm guessing that @ means symbolic link,
What do these other indicators mean ( */=>@| ) ?
ls
asked Jul 9 '13 at 16:30
spuderspuder
6,6712571106
2
Have you thought of looking at the man page?
– mdpc
Jul 9 '13 at 17:20
20
He has. In fact, he posted an excerpt from the manpage. The fulllsdocumentation, including information about the symbols displayed byls -F, is in a Texinfo manual. (info ls).
– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:33
1
On a side note, since Texinfo manuals generally feel strange and foreign, it's common to keep around functions like these:infos () { info --vi-keys --subnodes -o - "$@" | less; }.
– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:37
1
@EvanTeitelman This is great information, I will keepinfo foo --vi-keysin mind. Unfortunately the syntax you mentioned does not work for me (infos () { info --vi-keys...}
– spuder
Jul 9 '13 at 17:44
1
@spuder: It's a function; you have to call it.infos ls. The$@part passes all of the function's arguments toinfo. You can put this function in your~/.bashrcfile for later use.
– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:56
|
show 5 more comments
I noticed that if I run ls -F on a directory, some of the entries have a * or a @ after them.
spuder@ubuntu:~$ ls -F /sbin
acpi_available* getpcaps* lvmconf* ntfscp* start-stop-daemon*
agetty* getty* lvmdiskscan@ ntfslabel* status@
alsa* halt@ lvmdump* ntfsresize* stop@
alsactl* hdparm* lvmsadc@
spuder@ubuntu:~$ ls -F ~
daq-0.6.1/ examples.desktop noname-cache.lib snort-2.9.1/ Templates/
Desktop/ jpgraph-1.27.1/ noname.sch snortfiles/ Ubuntu One/
Documents/
According to the ls man pages
spuder@ubuntu:~$ man ls
...
-F, --classify
append indicator (one of */=>@|) to entries
...
I'm guessing that @ means symbolic link,
What do these other indicators mean ( */=>@| ) ?
ls
asked Jul 9 '13 at 16:30
spuderspuder
6,6712571106
I noticed that if I run ls -F on a directory, some of the entries have a * or a @ after them.
spuder@ubuntu:~$ ls -F /sbin
acpi_available* getpcaps* lvmconf* ntfscp* start-stop-daemon*
agetty* getty* lvmdiskscan@ ntfslabel* status@
alsa* halt@ lvmdump* ntfsresize* stop@
alsactl* hdparm* lvmsadc@
spuder@ubuntu:~$ ls -F ~
daq-0.6.1/ examples.desktop noname-cache.lib snort-2.9.1/ Templates/
Desktop/ jpgraph-1.27.1/ noname.sch snortfiles/ Ubuntu One/
Documents/
According to the ls man pages
spuder@ubuntu:~$ man ls
...
-F, --classify
append indicator (one of */=>@|) to entries
...
I'm guessing that @ means symbolic link,
What do these other indicators mean ( */=>@| ) ?
ls
ls
asked Jul 9 '13 at 16:30
spuderspuder
6,6712571106
asked Jul 9 '13 at 16:30
spuderspuder
6,6712571106
edited Jul 9 '13 at 17:39
user26112
asked Jul 9 '13 at 16:30
spuderspuder
6,6712571106
asked Jul 9 '13 at 16:30
spuderspuder
6,6712571106
asked Jul 9 '13 at 16:30
spuderspuder
6,6712571106
6,6712571106
2
Have you thought of looking at the man page?
– mdpc
Jul 9 '13 at 17:20
20
He has. In fact, he posted an excerpt from the manpage. The fulllsdocumentation, including information about the symbols displayed byls -F, is in a Texinfo manual. (info ls).
– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:33
1
On a side note, since Texinfo manuals generally feel strange and foreign, it's common to keep around functions like these:infos () { info --vi-keys --subnodes -o - "$@" | less; }.
– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:37
1
@EvanTeitelman This is great information, I will keepinfo foo --vi-keysin mind. Unfortunately the syntax you mentioned does not work for me (infos () { info --vi-keys...}
– spuder
Jul 9 '13 at 17:44
1
@spuder: It's a function; you have to call it.infos ls. The$@part passes all of the function's arguments toinfo. You can put this function in your~/.bashrcfile for later use.
– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:56
|
show 5 more comments
2
Have you thought of looking at the man page?
– mdpc
Jul 9 '13 at 17:20
20
He has. In fact, he posted an excerpt from the manpage. The fulllsdocumentation, including information about the symbols displayed byls -F, is in a Texinfo manual. (info ls).
– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:33
1
On a side note, since Texinfo manuals generally feel strange and foreign, it's common to keep around functions like these:infos () { info --vi-keys --subnodes -o - "$@" | less; }.
– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:37
1
@EvanTeitelman This is great information, I will keepinfo foo --vi-keysin mind. Unfortunately the syntax you mentioned does not work for me (infos () { info --vi-keys...}
– spuder
Jul 9 '13 at 17:44
1
@spuder: It's a function; you have to call it.infos ls. The$@part passes all of the function's arguments toinfo. You can put this function in your~/.bashrcfile for later use.
– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:56
2
2
Have you thought of looking at the man page?
– mdpc
Jul 9 '13 at 17:20
Have you thought of looking at the man page?
– mdpc
Jul 9 '13 at 17:20
20
20
He has. In fact, he posted an excerpt from the manpage. The full
ls documentation, including information about the symbols displayed by ls -F, is in a Texinfo manual. (info ls).– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:33
He has. In fact, he posted an excerpt from the manpage. The full
ls documentation, including information about the symbols displayed by ls -F, is in a Texinfo manual. (info ls).– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:33
1
1
On a side note, since Texinfo manuals generally feel strange and foreign, it's common to keep around functions like these:
infos () { info --vi-keys --subnodes -o - "$@" | less; }.– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:37
On a side note, since Texinfo manuals generally feel strange and foreign, it's common to keep around functions like these:
infos () { info --vi-keys --subnodes -o - "$@" | less; }.– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:37
1
1
@EvanTeitelman This is great information, I will keep
info foo --vi-keys in mind. Unfortunately the syntax you mentioned does not work for me (infos () { info --vi-keys...}– spuder
Jul 9 '13 at 17:44
@EvanTeitelman This is great information, I will keep
info foo --vi-keys in mind. Unfortunately the syntax you mentioned does not work for me (infos () { info --vi-keys...}– spuder
Jul 9 '13 at 17:44
1
1
@spuder: It's a function; you have to call it.
infos ls. The $@ part passes all of the function's arguments to info. You can put this function in your ~/.bashrc file for later use.– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:56
@spuder: It's a function; you have to call it.
infos ls. The $@ part passes all of the function's arguments to info. You can put this function in your ~/.bashrc file for later use.– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:56
|
show 5 more comments
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
ls -F appends symbols to filenames. These symbols show useful information about files.
@means symbolic link (or that the file has extended attributes).
*means executable.
=means socket.
|means named pipe.
>means door.
/means directory.
If you want this behavior to be the default, add this to your shell configuration: alias ls='ls -F'.
edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:37
Community♦
1
9
do not realias commands, it can break badly written scripts. I have aliasedlto have -F and colour, andllto also have -l
– ctrl-alt-delor
Jun 30 '16 at 11:03
On Android I get a completely two column output. I get the filename or directory name and BEFORE the name there is a minus if it is file, or a "d" if it is a directory, or a "ld" if it is a link. It is a disaster that Linuxes are so inconsistent!
– Elmue
Jun 1 '18 at 16:31
add a comment |
Just to add how I found this info. As indicated at the bottom of man ls:
Full documentation at: https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/ls
or available locally via: info '(coreutils) ls invocation'
Following this, we see
‘-F’ ‘--classify’ ‘--indicator-style=classify’ Append a character to
each file name indicating the file type. Also, for regular files that
are executable, append ‘*’. The file type indicators are ‘/’ for
directories, ‘@’ for symbolic links, ‘|’ for FIFOs, ‘=’ for sockets,
‘>’ for doors, and nothing for regular files. Do not follow symbolic
links listed on the command line unless the --dereference-command-line
(-H), --dereference (-L), or --dereference-command-line-symlink-to-dir
options are specified.
on https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ls-invocation
answered 7 hours ago
flow2kflow2k
19712
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "106"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2funix.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f82357%2fwhat-do-the-symbols-displayed-by-ls-f-mean%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
ls -F appends symbols to filenames. These symbols show useful information about files.
@means symbolic link (or that the file has extended attributes).
*means executable.
=means socket.
|means named pipe.
>means door.
/means directory.
If you want this behavior to be the default, add this to your shell configuration: alias ls='ls -F'.
edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:37
Community♦
1
9
do not realias commands, it can break badly written scripts. I have aliasedlto have -F and colour, andllto also have -l
– ctrl-alt-delor
Jun 30 '16 at 11:03
On Android I get a completely two column output. I get the filename or directory name and BEFORE the name there is a minus if it is file, or a "d" if it is a directory, or a "ld" if it is a link. It is a disaster that Linuxes are so inconsistent!
– Elmue
Jun 1 '18 at 16:31
add a comment |
ls -F appends symbols to filenames. These symbols show useful information about files.
@means symbolic link (or that the file has extended attributes).
*means executable.
=means socket.
|means named pipe.
>means door.
/means directory.
If you want this behavior to be the default, add this to your shell configuration: alias ls='ls -F'.
edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:37
Community♦
1
9
do not realias commands, it can break badly written scripts. I have aliasedlto have -F and colour, andllto also have -l
– ctrl-alt-delor
Jun 30 '16 at 11:03
On Android I get a completely two column output. I get the filename or directory name and BEFORE the name there is a minus if it is file, or a "d" if it is a directory, or a "ld" if it is a link. It is a disaster that Linuxes are so inconsistent!
– Elmue
Jun 1 '18 at 16:31
add a comment |
ls -F appends symbols to filenames. These symbols show useful information about files.
@means symbolic link (or that the file has extended attributes).
*means executable.
=means socket.
|means named pipe.
>means door.
/means directory.
If you want this behavior to be the default, add this to your shell configuration: alias ls='ls -F'.
edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:37
Community♦
1
ls -F appends symbols to filenames. These symbols show useful information about files.
@means symbolic link (or that the file has extended attributes).
*means executable.
=means socket.
|means named pipe.
>means door.
/means directory.
If you want this behavior to be the default, add this to your shell configuration: alias ls='ls -F'.
edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:37
Community♦
1
edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:37
Community♦
1
edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:37
Community♦
1
edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:37
Community♦
1
1
answered Jul 9 '13 at 16:34
user26112
9
do not realias commands, it can break badly written scripts. I have aliasedlto have -F and colour, andllto also have -l
– ctrl-alt-delor
Jun 30 '16 at 11:03
On Android I get a completely two column output. I get the filename or directory name and BEFORE the name there is a minus if it is file, or a "d" if it is a directory, or a "ld" if it is a link. It is a disaster that Linuxes are so inconsistent!
– Elmue
Jun 1 '18 at 16:31
add a comment |
9
do not realias commands, it can break badly written scripts. I have aliasedlto have -F and colour, andllto also have -l
– ctrl-alt-delor
Jun 30 '16 at 11:03
On Android I get a completely two column output. I get the filename or directory name and BEFORE the name there is a minus if it is file, or a "d" if it is a directory, or a "ld" if it is a link. It is a disaster that Linuxes are so inconsistent!
– Elmue
Jun 1 '18 at 16:31
9
9
do not realias commands, it can break badly written scripts. I have aliased
l to have -F and colour, and ll to also have -l– ctrl-alt-delor
Jun 30 '16 at 11:03
do not realias commands, it can break badly written scripts. I have aliased
l to have -F and colour, and ll to also have -l– ctrl-alt-delor
Jun 30 '16 at 11:03
On Android I get a completely two column output. I get the filename or directory name and BEFORE the name there is a minus if it is file, or a "d" if it is a directory, or a "ld" if it is a link. It is a disaster that Linuxes are so inconsistent!
– Elmue
Jun 1 '18 at 16:31
On Android I get a completely two column output. I get the filename or directory name and BEFORE the name there is a minus if it is file, or a "d" if it is a directory, or a "ld" if it is a link. It is a disaster that Linuxes are so inconsistent!
– Elmue
Jun 1 '18 at 16:31
add a comment |
Just to add how I found this info. As indicated at the bottom of man ls:
Full documentation at: https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/ls
or available locally via: info '(coreutils) ls invocation'
Following this, we see
‘-F’ ‘--classify’ ‘--indicator-style=classify’ Append a character to
each file name indicating the file type. Also, for regular files that
are executable, append ‘*’. The file type indicators are ‘/’ for
directories, ‘@’ for symbolic links, ‘|’ for FIFOs, ‘=’ for sockets,
‘>’ for doors, and nothing for regular files. Do not follow symbolic
links listed on the command line unless the --dereference-command-line
(-H), --dereference (-L), or --dereference-command-line-symlink-to-dir
options are specified.
on https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ls-invocation
answered 7 hours ago
flow2kflow2k
19712
add a comment |
Just to add how I found this info. As indicated at the bottom of man ls:
Full documentation at: https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/ls
or available locally via: info '(coreutils) ls invocation'
Following this, we see
‘-F’ ‘--classify’ ‘--indicator-style=classify’ Append a character to
each file name indicating the file type. Also, for regular files that
are executable, append ‘*’. The file type indicators are ‘/’ for
directories, ‘@’ for symbolic links, ‘|’ for FIFOs, ‘=’ for sockets,
‘>’ for doors, and nothing for regular files. Do not follow symbolic
links listed on the command line unless the --dereference-command-line
(-H), --dereference (-L), or --dereference-command-line-symlink-to-dir
options are specified.
on https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ls-invocation
answered 7 hours ago
flow2kflow2k
19712
add a comment |
Just to add how I found this info. As indicated at the bottom of man ls:
Full documentation at: https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/ls
or available locally via: info '(coreutils) ls invocation'
Following this, we see
‘-F’ ‘--classify’ ‘--indicator-style=classify’ Append a character to
each file name indicating the file type. Also, for regular files that
are executable, append ‘*’. The file type indicators are ‘/’ for
directories, ‘@’ for symbolic links, ‘|’ for FIFOs, ‘=’ for sockets,
‘>’ for doors, and nothing for regular files. Do not follow symbolic
links listed on the command line unless the --dereference-command-line
(-H), --dereference (-L), or --dereference-command-line-symlink-to-dir
options are specified.
on https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ls-invocation
answered 7 hours ago
flow2kflow2k
19712
Just to add how I found this info. As indicated at the bottom of man ls:
Full documentation at: https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/ls
or available locally via: info '(coreutils) ls invocation'
Following this, we see
‘-F’ ‘--classify’ ‘--indicator-style=classify’ Append a character to
each file name indicating the file type. Also, for regular files that
are executable, append ‘*’. The file type indicators are ‘/’ for
directories, ‘@’ for symbolic links, ‘|’ for FIFOs, ‘=’ for sockets,
‘>’ for doors, and nothing for regular files. Do not follow symbolic
links listed on the command line unless the --dereference-command-line
(-H), --dereference (-L), or --dereference-command-line-symlink-to-dir
options are specified.
on https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#ls-invocation
answered 7 hours ago
flow2kflow2k
19712
answered 7 hours ago
flow2kflow2k
19712
answered 7 hours ago
flow2kflow2k
19712
answered 7 hours ago
flow2kflow2k
19712
19712
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Unix & Linux Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2funix.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f82357%2fwhat-do-the-symbols-displayed-by-ls-f-mean%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
2
Have you thought of looking at the man page?
– mdpc
Jul 9 '13 at 17:20
20
He has. In fact, he posted an excerpt from the manpage. The full
lsdocumentation, including information about the symbols displayed byls -F, is in a Texinfo manual. (info ls).– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:33
1
On a side note, since Texinfo manuals generally feel strange and foreign, it's common to keep around functions like these:
infos () { info --vi-keys --subnodes -o - "$@" | less; }.– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:37
1
@EvanTeitelman This is great information, I will keep
info foo --vi-keysin mind. Unfortunately the syntax you mentioned does not work for me (infos () { info --vi-keys...}– spuder
Jul 9 '13 at 17:44
1
@spuder: It's a function; you have to call it.
infos ls. The$@part passes all of the function's arguments toinfo. You can put this function in your~/.bashrcfile for later use.– user26112
Jul 9 '13 at 17:56