The `ls` command

The ls command lets you see the files and directories inside a specific directory (current working directory by default). It normally lists the files and directories in ascending alphabetical order.

Examples:

To show the files inside your current working directory:

ls

To show the files and directory inside a specific Directory:

ls {Directory_Path}

Syntax:

ls [-OPTION] [DIRECTORY_PATH]

Interactive training

In this interactive tutorial, you will learn the different ways to use the ls command:

The ls command by Tony

Additional Flags and their Functionalities:

Short Flag	Long Flag	Description
`-l`	-	Show results in long format
`-S`	-	Sort results by file size
`-t`	-	Sort results by modification time
`-r`	`--reverse`	Show files and directories in reverse order (descending alphabetical order)
`-a`	`--all`	Show all files, including hidden files (file names which begin with a period `.`)
`-la`	-	Show long format files and directories including hidden files
`-lh`	-	list long format files and directories with readable size
`-A`	`--almost-all`	Shows all like `-a` but without showing `.`(current working directory) and `..` (parent directory)
`-d`	`--directory`	Instead of listing the files and directories inside the directory, it shows any information about the directory itself, it can be used with `-l` to show long formatted information
`-F`	`--classify`	Appends an indicator character to the end of each listed name, as an example: `/` character is appended after each directory name listed
`-h`	`--human-readable`	like `-l` but displays file size in human-readable unit not in bytes

Setting Persistent Options:

Customizing command behavior in Linux is easy using the alias command. To make these changes permanent, follow these steps:

Create the Alias: Define your alias with the desired options. For example, to enhance the ls command:
```
alias ls="ls --color=auto -lh"
```
Persistence: This alias is effective only for the current session. To make it permanent, add the alias to your shell's configuration file:
- Bash: Append the alias to ~/.bashrc:
```
echo 'alias ls="ls --color=auto -lh"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
```
Verification: Open a new terminal session, and the ls command will display files as configured.

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The ls command