16. Where Did I Put That?

Contents:
Everything but the find Command
Finding Oldest or Newest Files with ls -t and ls -u
Reordering ls Listings
List All Subdirectories with ls -R
The Three UNIX File Times
clf, cls: "Compressed" ls Listings
ls Shortcuts: ll, lf, lg, etc.
The ls -d Option
An Alias to List Recently Changed Files
findcmd: Find a Command in Your Search Path
Showing Hidden Files with ls -A and -a
Useful ls Aliases
Can't Access a File? Look for Spaces in the Name
Showing Non-Printable Characters in Filenames
Script with a :-) for UNIX Converts: dir, ..., ...
Picking a Unique Filename Automatically
Getting Directory Name from a File's Pathname
Listing Files You've Created/Edited Today
stree: Simple Directory Tree
The vtree Visual Directory Tree Programs
Finding All Directories with the Same Name
Comparing Two Directory Trees with dircmp
Comparing Filenames in Two Directory Trees
Counting Files by Types
Listing Files by Age and Size
Finding Text Files with findtext
newer: Print the Name of the Newest File
oldlinks: Find Unconnected Symbolic Links
sls: Super ls with Format You Can Choose

16.1 Everything but the find Command

A computer isn't that much different from a house or an office; unless you're incredibly orderly, you spend a lot of time looking for things that you've misplaced. Even if you are incredibly orderly, you still spend some time looking for things you need - you just have a better idea of where to find them. After all, librarians don't memorize the location of every book in the stacks, but they do know how to find any book, quickly and efficiently, using whatever tools are available. A key to becoming a proficient user of any system, then, is knowing how to find things.

This chapter is about how to find things. We're excluding the find ( 17.1 ) utility itself because it's complicated and deserves a chapter of its own. We'll concentrate on simpler ways to find files, beginning with some different ways to use ls .

- ML