ls has a large number of other options, as can be discovered in the man page. It is one of the most frequently used tools, and is virtually the de-facto interface to the file system via the command line.

Sample usage

Here we can see that the user fred has a directory named drafts, a regular file called edition-32, and an executable named edit in his home directory. ls uses a special permissions notation that describes what the user, group, and "world" (everyone else) can do to the file. The first character of the permissions line indicates type (d signifies a directory, for example), and the rest of the line is split into blocks of three characters each, with the presence of a r, w, and x signifying the ability to read, write, or execute respectively. The first block represents the permissions for the user, the second for the group, and the third for world. For example, the user fred can read and write the edition-32 file, but not execute it; members of the group editors can only read this file and not write or execute it, as can everyone else.

See also

External links

man pages