What does the “ls -1†command do?
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In my current directory, I execute the command:ls -1 and it gives a list of the current directory contents.
In the same directory, I repeat the command: ls and it gives me the same result, with perhaps a different formatted output.
Finally, I try to find out about the available commands by typing ls --help and the output is:
usage: ls [-ABCFGHLOPRSTUWabcdefghiklmnopqrstuwx1] [file ...]
It looks like the last option is 1 (#1). Can someone explain what the ls -1 does and how it's different to the standard ls command?
shell osx ls
edited Jul 19 at 13:59
Kusalananda
101k13199311
asked Jul 19 at 13:37
James Peter McConnell
194
 |Â
show 2 more comments
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
In my current directory, I execute the command:ls -1 and it gives a list of the current directory contents.
In the same directory, I repeat the command: ls and it gives me the same result, with perhaps a different formatted output.
Finally, I try to find out about the available commands by typing ls --help and the output is:
usage: ls [-ABCFGHLOPRSTUWabcdefghiklmnopqrstuwx1] [file ...]
It looks like the last option is 1 (#1). Can someone explain what the ls -1 does and how it's different to the standard ls command?
shell osx ls
edited Jul 19 at 13:59
Kusalananda
101k13199311
asked Jul 19 at 13:37
James Peter McConnell
194
1
Related questions are unix.stackexchange.com/questions/410550 , unix.stackexchange.com/questions/112125 , and unix.stackexchange.com/questions/111975 .
– JdeBP
Jul 19 at 13:45
1
check if your ls command is also aliased
– ron
Jul 19 at 13:56
I know Suse aliasieslsin/etc/bash.bashrcfor example, and also has an environment variable "LS_OPTIONS" and they use some options I do not care for so I manually comment out any aliasing of thelscommand; if this is happening under the hood on you without you knowing thenlsoutput can sometimes not make sense and be confusing (i.e. why is this happening)ls -1should simply output one column but only if some other option is not overriding or preventing it from happening
– ron
Jul 19 at 14:03
1
ls -1is often used by shell scripts to ensure there is minimal information and one file per line to make processing file names easy.
– Mark Stewart
Jul 19 at 14:20
2
@Mark indeed, but parsinglsis a bad idea, andls -1is the default when the output isn’t a terminal (which is the case when the output is supposed to be processed in a script).
– Stephen Kitt
Jul 19 at 17:55
 |Â
show 2 more comments
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
In my current directory, I execute the command:ls -1 and it gives a list of the current directory contents.
In the same directory, I repeat the command: ls and it gives me the same result, with perhaps a different formatted output.
Finally, I try to find out about the available commands by typing ls --help and the output is:
usage: ls [-ABCFGHLOPRSTUWabcdefghiklmnopqrstuwx1] [file ...]
It looks like the last option is 1 (#1). Can someone explain what the ls -1 does and how it's different to the standard ls command?
shell osx ls
edited Jul 19 at 13:59
Kusalananda
101k13199311
asked Jul 19 at 13:37
James Peter McConnell
194
In my current directory, I execute the command:ls -1 and it gives a list of the current directory contents.
In the same directory, I repeat the command: ls and it gives me the same result, with perhaps a different formatted output.
Finally, I try to find out about the available commands by typing ls --help and the output is:
usage: ls [-ABCFGHLOPRSTUWabcdefghiklmnopqrstuwx1] [file ...]
It looks like the last option is 1 (#1). Can someone explain what the ls -1 does and how it's different to the standard ls command?
shell osx ls
edited Jul 19 at 13:59
Kusalananda
101k13199311
asked Jul 19 at 13:37
James Peter McConnell
194
edited Jul 19 at 13:59
Kusalananda
101k13199311
edited Jul 19 at 13:59
Kusalananda
101k13199311
edited Jul 19 at 13:59
Kusalananda
101k13199311
101k13199311
asked Jul 19 at 13:37
James Peter McConnell
194
asked Jul 19 at 13:37
James Peter McConnell
194
asked Jul 19 at 13:37
James Peter McConnell
194
194
1
Related questions are unix.stackexchange.com/questions/410550 , unix.stackexchange.com/questions/112125 , and unix.stackexchange.com/questions/111975 .
– JdeBP
Jul 19 at 13:45
1
check if your ls command is also aliased
– ron
Jul 19 at 13:56
I know Suse aliasieslsin/etc/bash.bashrcfor example, and also has an environment variable "LS_OPTIONS" and they use some options I do not care for so I manually comment out any aliasing of thelscommand; if this is happening under the hood on you without you knowing thenlsoutput can sometimes not make sense and be confusing (i.e. why is this happening)ls -1should simply output one column but only if some other option is not overriding or preventing it from happening
– ron
Jul 19 at 14:03
1
ls -1is often used by shell scripts to ensure there is minimal information and one file per line to make processing file names easy.
– Mark Stewart
Jul 19 at 14:20
2
@Mark indeed, but parsinglsis a bad idea, andls -1is the default when the output isn’t a terminal (which is the case when the output is supposed to be processed in a script).
– Stephen Kitt
Jul 19 at 17:55
 |Â
show 2 more comments
1
Related questions are unix.stackexchange.com/questions/410550 , unix.stackexchange.com/questions/112125 , and unix.stackexchange.com/questions/111975 .
– JdeBP
Jul 19 at 13:45
1
check if your ls command is also aliased
– ron
Jul 19 at 13:56
I know Suse aliasieslsin/etc/bash.bashrcfor example, and also has an environment variable "LS_OPTIONS" and they use some options I do not care for so I manually comment out any aliasing of thelscommand; if this is happening under the hood on you without you knowing thenlsoutput can sometimes not make sense and be confusing (i.e. why is this happening)ls -1should simply output one column but only if some other option is not overriding or preventing it from happening
– ron
Jul 19 at 14:03
1
ls -1is often used by shell scripts to ensure there is minimal information and one file per line to make processing file names easy.
– Mark Stewart
Jul 19 at 14:20
2
@Mark indeed, but parsinglsis a bad idea, andls -1is the default when the output isn’t a terminal (which is the case when the output is supposed to be processed in a script).
– Stephen Kitt
Jul 19 at 17:55
1
1
Related questions are unix.stackexchange.com/questions/410550 , unix.stackexchange.com/questions/112125 , and unix.stackexchange.com/questions/111975 .
– JdeBP
Jul 19 at 13:45
Related questions are unix.stackexchange.com/questions/410550 , unix.stackexchange.com/questions/112125 , and unix.stackexchange.com/questions/111975 .
– JdeBP
Jul 19 at 13:45
1
1
check if your ls command is also aliased
– ron
Jul 19 at 13:56
check if your ls command is also aliased
– ron
Jul 19 at 13:56
I know Suse aliasies
ls in /etc/bash.bashrc for example, and also has an environment variable "LS_OPTIONS" and they use some options I do not care for so I manually comment out any aliasing of the ls command; if this is happening under the hood on you without you knowing then ls output can sometimes not make sense and be confusing (i.e. why is this happening) ls -1 should simply output one column but only if some other option is not overriding or preventing it from happening– ron
Jul 19 at 14:03
I know Suse aliasies
ls in /etc/bash.bashrc for example, and also has an environment variable "LS_OPTIONS" and they use some options I do not care for so I manually comment out any aliasing of the ls command; if this is happening under the hood on you without you knowing then ls output can sometimes not make sense and be confusing (i.e. why is this happening) ls -1 should simply output one column but only if some other option is not overriding or preventing it from happening– ron
Jul 19 at 14:03
1
1
ls -1 is often used by shell scripts to ensure there is minimal information and one file per line to make processing file names easy.– Mark Stewart
Jul 19 at 14:20
ls -1 is often used by shell scripts to ensure there is minimal information and one file per line to make processing file names easy.– Mark Stewart
Jul 19 at 14:20
2
2
@Mark indeed, but parsing
ls is a bad idea, and ls -1 is the default when the output isn’t a terminal (which is the case when the output is supposed to be processed in a script).– Stephen Kitt
Jul 19 at 17:55
@Mark indeed, but parsing
ls is a bad idea, and ls -1 is the default when the output isn’t a terminal (which is the case when the output is supposed to be processed in a script).– Stephen Kitt
Jul 19 at 17:55
 |Â
show 2 more comments
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
17
down vote
accepted
Yes, the formatting of the output is the only difference between ls -1 and ls without any options.
From the ls manual on my system:
-1 (The numeric digit "one".) Force output to be one entry per line.
This is the default when output is not to a terminal.
This is also a POSIX option to the ls utility.
The manual for ls on your system is bound to say something similar (see man ls).
Related:
- is piped ls the same as ls -1?
edited Jul 19 at 19:51
Salman A
1032
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Kusalananda
101k13199311
add a comment |Â
up vote
9
down vote
ls -1 lists one file per line. By default, when it’s outputting to a terminal, ls lists files in columns, whose number varies depending on the length of the file names and the available space on screen.
To find this kind of information, man ls works better than ls --help. (This is true for most commands.)
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Stephen Kitt
139k22296359
man lsworks better thanls --helpEspecially so as--helpis a non-portable non-POSIX extension.
– Andrew Henle
Jul 20 at 11:57
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
man ls contains (searched via /-1<Enter>)
--format=WORD
across -x, commas -m, horizontal -x, long -l, single-column -1, verbose -l, vertical -C
ls -1 triggers the single column mode. ls by default displays its content in multiple columns, just like the column command line tool would.
answered Jul 19 at 13:43
phy-shell
365
4
The user is on a BSD system, judging from whatls --helpproduces. Their manual would unlikely contain--format.
– Kusalananda
Jul 19 at 13:51
add a comment |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
17
down vote
accepted
Yes, the formatting of the output is the only difference between ls -1 and ls without any options.
From the ls manual on my system:
-1 (The numeric digit "one".) Force output to be one entry per line.
This is the default when output is not to a terminal.
This is also a POSIX option to the ls utility.
The manual for ls on your system is bound to say something similar (see man ls).
Related:
- is piped ls the same as ls -1?
edited Jul 19 at 19:51
Salman A
1032
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Kusalananda
101k13199311
add a comment |Â
up vote
17
down vote
accepted
Yes, the formatting of the output is the only difference between ls -1 and ls without any options.
From the ls manual on my system:
-1 (The numeric digit "one".) Force output to be one entry per line.
This is the default when output is not to a terminal.
This is also a POSIX option to the ls utility.
The manual for ls on your system is bound to say something similar (see man ls).
Related:
- is piped ls the same as ls -1?
edited Jul 19 at 19:51
Salman A
1032
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Kusalananda
101k13199311
add a comment |Â
up vote
17
down vote
accepted
up vote
17
down vote
accepted
Yes, the formatting of the output is the only difference between ls -1 and ls without any options.
From the ls manual on my system:
-1 (The numeric digit "one".) Force output to be one entry per line.
This is the default when output is not to a terminal.
This is also a POSIX option to the ls utility.
The manual for ls on your system is bound to say something similar (see man ls).
Related:
- is piped ls the same as ls -1?
edited Jul 19 at 19:51
Salman A
1032
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Kusalananda
101k13199311
Yes, the formatting of the output is the only difference between ls -1 and ls without any options.
From the ls manual on my system:
-1 (The numeric digit "one".) Force output to be one entry per line.
This is the default when output is not to a terminal.
This is also a POSIX option to the ls utility.
The manual for ls on your system is bound to say something similar (see man ls).
Related:
- is piped ls the same as ls -1?
edited Jul 19 at 19:51
Salman A
1032
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Kusalananda
101k13199311
edited Jul 19 at 19:51
Salman A
1032
edited Jul 19 at 19:51
Salman A
1032
edited Jul 19 at 19:51
Salman A
1032
1032
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Kusalananda
101k13199311
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Kusalananda
101k13199311
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Kusalananda
101k13199311
101k13199311
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
9
down vote
ls -1 lists one file per line. By default, when it’s outputting to a terminal, ls lists files in columns, whose number varies depending on the length of the file names and the available space on screen.
To find this kind of information, man ls works better than ls --help. (This is true for most commands.)
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Stephen Kitt
139k22296359
man lsworks better thanls --helpEspecially so as--helpis a non-portable non-POSIX extension.
– Andrew Henle
Jul 20 at 11:57
add a comment |Â
up vote
9
down vote
ls -1 lists one file per line. By default, when it’s outputting to a terminal, ls lists files in columns, whose number varies depending on the length of the file names and the available space on screen.
To find this kind of information, man ls works better than ls --help. (This is true for most commands.)
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Stephen Kitt
139k22296359
man lsworks better thanls --helpEspecially so as--helpis a non-portable non-POSIX extension.
– Andrew Henle
Jul 20 at 11:57
add a comment |Â
up vote
9
down vote
up vote
9
down vote
ls -1 lists one file per line. By default, when it’s outputting to a terminal, ls lists files in columns, whose number varies depending on the length of the file names and the available space on screen.
To find this kind of information, man ls works better than ls --help. (This is true for most commands.)
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Stephen Kitt
139k22296359
ls -1 lists one file per line. By default, when it’s outputting to a terminal, ls lists files in columns, whose number varies depending on the length of the file names and the available space on screen.
To find this kind of information, man ls works better than ls --help. (This is true for most commands.)
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Stephen Kitt
139k22296359
edited Jul 19 at 13:50
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Stephen Kitt
139k22296359
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Stephen Kitt
139k22296359
answered Jul 19 at 13:39
Stephen Kitt
139k22296359
139k22296359
man lsworks better thanls --helpEspecially so as--helpis a non-portable non-POSIX extension.
– Andrew Henle
Jul 20 at 11:57
add a comment |Â
man lsworks better thanls --helpEspecially so as--helpis a non-portable non-POSIX extension.
– Andrew Henle
Jul 20 at 11:57
man ls works better than ls --help Especially so as --help is a non-portable non-POSIX extension.– Andrew Henle
Jul 20 at 11:57
man ls works better than ls --help Especially so as --help is a non-portable non-POSIX extension.– Andrew Henle
Jul 20 at 11:57
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
man ls contains (searched via /-1<Enter>)
--format=WORD
across -x, commas -m, horizontal -x, long -l, single-column -1, verbose -l, vertical -C
ls -1 triggers the single column mode. ls by default displays its content in multiple columns, just like the column command line tool would.
answered Jul 19 at 13:43
phy-shell
365
4
The user is on a BSD system, judging from whatls --helpproduces. Their manual would unlikely contain--format.
– Kusalananda
Jul 19 at 13:51
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
man ls contains (searched via /-1<Enter>)
--format=WORD
across -x, commas -m, horizontal -x, long -l, single-column -1, verbose -l, vertical -C
ls -1 triggers the single column mode. ls by default displays its content in multiple columns, just like the column command line tool would.
answered Jul 19 at 13:43
phy-shell
365
4
The user is on a BSD system, judging from whatls --helpproduces. Their manual would unlikely contain--format.
– Kusalananda
Jul 19 at 13:51
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
man ls contains (searched via /-1<Enter>)
--format=WORD
across -x, commas -m, horizontal -x, long -l, single-column -1, verbose -l, vertical -C
ls -1 triggers the single column mode. ls by default displays its content in multiple columns, just like the column command line tool would.
answered Jul 19 at 13:43
phy-shell
365
man ls contains (searched via /-1<Enter>)
--format=WORD
across -x, commas -m, horizontal -x, long -l, single-column -1, verbose -l, vertical -C
ls -1 triggers the single column mode. ls by default displays its content in multiple columns, just like the column command line tool would.
answered Jul 19 at 13:43
phy-shell
365
answered Jul 19 at 13:43
phy-shell
365
answered Jul 19 at 13:43
phy-shell
365
answered Jul 19 at 13:43
phy-shell
365
365
4
The user is on a BSD system, judging from whatls --helpproduces. Their manual would unlikely contain--format.
– Kusalananda
Jul 19 at 13:51
add a comment |Â
4
The user is on a BSD system, judging from whatls --helpproduces. Their manual would unlikely contain--format.
– Kusalananda
Jul 19 at 13:51
4
4
The user is on a BSD system, judging from what
ls --help produces. Their manual would unlikely contain --format.– Kusalananda
Jul 19 at 13:51
The user is on a BSD system, judging from what
ls --help produces. Their manual would unlikely contain --format.– Kusalananda
Jul 19 at 13:51
add a comment |Â
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1
Related questions are unix.stackexchange.com/questions/410550 , unix.stackexchange.com/questions/112125 , and unix.stackexchange.com/questions/111975 .
– JdeBP
Jul 19 at 13:45
1
check if your ls command is also aliased
– ron
Jul 19 at 13:56
I know Suse aliasies
lsin/etc/bash.bashrcfor example, and also has an environment variable "LS_OPTIONS" and they use some options I do not care for so I manually comment out any aliasing of thelscommand; if this is happening under the hood on you without you knowing thenlsoutput can sometimes not make sense and be confusing (i.e. why is this happening)ls -1should simply output one column but only if some other option is not overriding or preventing it from happening– ron
Jul 19 at 14:03
1
ls -1is often used by shell scripts to ensure there is minimal information and one file per line to make processing file names easy.– Mark Stewart
Jul 19 at 14:20
2
@Mark indeed, but parsing
lsis a bad idea, andls -1is the default when the output isn’t a terminal (which is the case when the output is supposed to be processed in a script).– Stephen Kitt
Jul 19 at 17:55