When using the ls
command by itself, you can
obtain a listing of directory contents but cannot tell which are files
and which are directories. By using the ls command with the -F
(File type) option, you can display a listing with a symbol to
indicate the file type. The symbol (if present) is found at the end of
the file or directory name. Note that the -F option is an upper
case F. There are four UNIX file types: Directory, Executable,
ASCII text file and Symbolic link. We will focus on the first three in
this course.
- Directory - A forward slash
(/) after the name indicates this is a directory (or
subdirectory). A directory is considered a type of file with UNIX.
- ASCII Text File - If there is
no symbol after the name, this indicates a plain ASCII text file
with no formatting characters. (ASCII is the American Standard
Code for Information Interchange) An ASCII text file is similar
to a DOS text file.
- Executable - An asterisk (*)
after the name indicates that this is a command, an application or
a script file which can be run or executed.
- Symbolic Link - An at sign
(@) after the name indicates a symbolic link which is a way of
giving a file an alternate name. Symbolic links will not be
covered in this course.
Figure
shows two examples using the ls
-F command to see the file type
and assumes you are in your home directory /home/user2. The first
example shows only files and directories. The second shows a symbolic
link, an executable, an ASCII text file, and a directory.
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Interactive
Media Activity
(Flash,
95 kB) |
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Displaying
File Types
In this media activity,
you are logged in as user2 and your current working directory is:
/home/user2/dir1. Refer to the Class File Tree Structure by clicking the 'tree' button located on the Menu Bar and type the commands that would accomplish the requested objectives.
Note: Be sure to press enter after each one. Click on step 1 to begin.
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