| Red Hat Linux 7.3: The Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started Guide | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prev | Chapter 14. Frequently Asked Questions | Next |
Whenever I type ls I can barely see the output of the directory because it scrolls by too quickly. How can I actually read the output?
To prevent the output of ls from scrolling by too quickly, pipe the output to a utility such as less or more. You will then be able to see the output one screen, or "page" at at time.
To read the contents of /etc with less, type the following command at the shell prompt:
ls -al /etc | less |
To move forward a screen, press
You can achieve the same results with more, another paging utility.
You can also print directory listings by piping the output to a printer in the same way that you piped the output to your screen. If you have configured a printer, type the following to pipe the output of a command to the printer:
ls -al /etc | lpr |