> /bin/ls -a
.              bcols.js            fixRpt.sed   makeRpt.sh        rptRows.html
..             birdRpt.080410.sed  freq.sql     rpt.0807001.sql   tableBot.html
RptTable.html  birdRpt.sed         index.html   rpt.sql           tableTop.html
archve         birdRptTable.html   index.shtml  rptFix.080410.sed tmp

> /bin/ls -A
RptTable.html birdRpt.080410.sed fixRpt.sed index.shtml     rpt.sql           tableBot.html
archve        birdRpt.sed        freq.sql   makeRpt.sh      rptFix.080410.sed tableTop.html
bcols.js      birdRptTable.html  index.html rpt.0807001.sql rptRows.html      tmp

> ls -C
RptTable.html birdRpt.080410.sed fixRpt.sed index.shtml     rpt.sql           tableBot.html
archve        birdRpt.sed        freq.sql   makeRpt.sh      rptFix.080410.sed tableTop.html
bcols.js      birdRptTable.html  index.html rpt.0807001.sql rptRows.html      tmp
     

> ls -x
RptTable.html      archve          bcols.js  birdRpt.080410.sed  birdRpt.sed
birdRptTable.html  fixRpt.sed      freq.sql  index.html          index.shtml
makeRpt.sh         rpt.0807001.sql rpt.sql   rptFix.080410.sed   rptRows.html
tableBot.html      tableTop.html   tmp 

     RptTable.html
     archve
     bcols.js
     birdRpt.080410.sed
     birdRpt.sed
     birdRptTable.html
     fixRpt.sed
     freq.sql
     index.html
     index.shtml
     makeRpt.sh
     rpt.0807001.sql
     rpt.sql
     rptFix.080410.sed
     rptRows.html
     tableBot.html
     tableTop.html
     tmp
     

       
    drwx------+  59 2006 Dec  7 15:18:01 2008 Downloads
    drwxr-xr-x    2   68 Dec  7 12:06:31 2008 EasyFind
    -rwxr-----    1  262 Sep 17 01:00:00 2007 FTPtest.bat
    -rwxr-----    1   67 Sep 17 01:00:00 2007 FTPtest.cmd

Column formats -1, -C, -x, and -l override each other; the last one specified is used.
Sort time choices -c(change) and -u(access) override each other; the last one specified isused.
-B, -b, -w, and -q override each other; the last one specified determines the format used for non-displayable characters. -b As -B, but use C escape codes whenever possible. -H, -L and-P override each other (either partially or fully); they are applied in the order specified.

Default, one entry per line to standard output; to terminals or with -C or -x (multi column formats.)

File information is displayed with blanks separating the information associated with the -i, -s, and -l options.

The Long Format

If the modification time of the file is more than 6 months away, the year is displayed instead of the hour and minutes.

If the owner or group names are not known (example they have been deleted), or with -n numeric ID's are displayed.

For character special or block special files the major and minor device numbers for the file are displayed in the size field.

For symbolic links a -> and the pathname of the linked-to file is displayed

The type character describes the type of file :

- Regular file.
d Directory.
l Symbolic link.
b Block special file.
c Character special file.
s Socket link.
p FIFO.

The mode, the permssion flags, are three fields of three characters each (ex: rwxrwxr-x ) :

1. r the file is readable; - not readable.
   
2. w the file is writable; - not writable.
   
3. The first of the following that applies:
   
   • S the file is not executable
     • in the owner permissions set-user-ID mode is set.
     • in the group permissions set-group-ID mode is set.
   • s the file is executable
     • in the owner permissions set-user-ID mode is set.
       
     • If in the group permissions set-group-ID mode is set.
   • x file is executable or directory is searchable.
     
   • - file is neither readable, writable, executable, nor set-user-ID nor set-group-ID mode, nor sticky.
     These next two apply only to the third character in the last field (other permissions).
     
   • T sticky bit is set (mode 1000), but not execute or search permission.
     
   • t sticky bit is set (mode 1000), and is searchable or executable.

     (See chmod or sticky for more details)

   • + or
   • @ the file or directory has extended security information

total nnnnnn number of 512-byte blocks used by the files in the directory is displayed on a line by itself immediately before the information for the files in the directory.
EXAMPLES
Sort by size (and shows why ls does not need a separate option for this):

ls -l | sort -n +4

-r reverse sort order.

exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.

ENVIRONMENT variables

CLICOLOR Use ANSI color sequences to distinguish file types. See LSCOLORS.
In addition to the file types mentioned in -F extra attributes (setuid bit set, etc.) are displayed.
Dependent terminal type with the proper termcap(5) capabilities. To display the colors in an xterm, the TERM variable may be set to xterm‑color. Other terminal types may require similar adjustments.
Disabled if the output isn't directed to a terminal unless CLICOLOR_FORCE is defined.
CLICOLOR_FORCE if set, color sequences are output if not directed to a terminal.

LSCOLORS Defines colors used when colors are enabled with CLICOLOR.
String of pairs of the format fb, where f is the foreground color and b is the background color.

The order of the attributes :
dir, symlink, socket, pipe, executable, block serial, character special, executable+SUID, executable+GUID, executabl+sticky+w=others, directory+w=others

Default "exfxcxdxbxegedabagacad",
i.e. blue foreground and default background for regular directories, magenta for symLinks, green for sockets, …black on red for setuid executables, etc.

TERM CLICOLOR depends on a terminal type with color capabilities.

COLUMNS column width for displaying multiple-text-column output.

LS_COLWIDTHS a colon-delimited list of minimum column widths. Unreasonable and insufficient widths are ignored (zero signifies a dynamically sized column).
Not all columns have changeable widths.
inode, block count, number of links, user name, group name, flags, file size, file name.

LANG The locale to use when determining the order of day and month in the long -l format output. See environ .

TZ timezone to use when displaying dates. See environ(7) for more information.

SEE ALSO chflags, chmod, sort, xterm, compat, termcap, symlink, sticky

May 19, 2002 BSD