The ls command is used to display directory contents in the Linux terminal. By default, the output is sorted alphabetically. However, you might sometimes need to display the contents in reverse order. This can be done using the ls command itself or by piping the output to an external program like sort.
While ls has built-in sorting capabilities and is highly compatible with other ls options, the sort command is a dedicated external program that offers its own advantages for sorting output that you can use.
Steps to list directory content in reverse in Linux:
- Open the terminal.
- Display directory contents using the ls command.
$ ls Applications Documents Dropbox Movies Pictures System tmp Desktop Downloads Library Music Public Workspace
- Pipe the ls command output to the 'sort' command to show the results in reverse order.
$ ls | sort -r tmp Workspace System Public Pictures Music Movies Library Dropbox Downloads Documents Desktop Applications
- Directly display directory contents in reverse order using the ls command.
$ ls -r tmp System Pictures Movies Dropbox Documents Applications Workspace Public Music Library Downloads Desktop
- Show directory contents based on access time or other criteria.
$ ls -lt total 0 drwxr-xr-x 12 user group 384 Jul 21 09:50 Workspace drwx------@ 19 user group 608 Jul 4 15:18 Dropbox drwx------+ 6 user group 192 Jul 4 11:47 Movies drwx------@ 83 user group 2656 Jun 27 14:11 Library drwx------+ 6 user group 192 Jun 25 16:13 Music lrwx------@ 1 user group 41 Jun 25 15:22 Desktop -> Library/CloudStorage/iCloud Drive/Desktop lrwx------@ 1 user group 43 Jun 25 15:22 Documents -> Library/CloudStorage/iCloud Drive/Documents drwx------+ 6 user group 192 Jun 25 15:18 Pictures drwxr-xr-x 3 user group 96 Aug 4 2018 System lrwxr-xr-x 1 user group 28 Jul 10 2018 Downloads -> /Volumes/SD/user/Downloads lrwxr-xr-x 1 user group 22 Jul 10 2018 tmp -> /Volumes/SD/user/tmp drwx------@ 4 user group 128 Jun 28 2018 Applications drwxr-xr-x+ 4 user group 128 Jun 28 2018 Public
- Sort directory contents according to a specific criterion in reverse order.
$ ls -lrt total 0 drwxr-xr-x+ 4 user group 128 Jun 28 2018 Public drwx------@ 4 user group 128 Jun 28 2018 Applications lrwxr-xr-x 1 user group 22 Jul 10 2018 tmp -> /Volumes/SD/user/tmp lrwxr-xr-x 1 user group 28 Jul 10 2018 Downloads -> /Volumes/SD/user/Downloads drwxr-xr-x 3 user group 96 Aug 4 2018 System drwx------+ 6 user group 192 Jun 25 15:18 Pictures lrwx------@ 1 user group 43 Jun 25 15:22 Documents -> Library/CloudStorage/iCloud Drive/Documents lrwx------@ 1 user group 41 Jun 25 15:22 Desktop -> Library/CloudStorage/iCloud Drive/Desktop drwx------+ 6 user group 192 Jun 25 16:13 Music drwx------@ 83 user group 2656 Jun 27 14:11 Library drwx------+ 6 user group 192 Jul 4 11:47 Movies drwx------@ 19 user group 608 Jul 4 15:18 Dropbox drwxr-xr-x 12 user group 384 Jul 21 09:50 Workspace
Author: Mohd Shakir Zakaria
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a skilled cloud architect with a background in development, entrepreneurship, and open-source advocacy. As the founder of Simplified Guide, he helps others understand the complexities of computing, making tech concepts accessible to all.
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a skilled cloud architect with a background in development, entrepreneurship, and open-source advocacy. As the founder of Simplified Guide, he helps others understand the complexities of computing, making tech concepts accessible to all.
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