GNU bug report logs - #75916
Making ls(1)'s --format clearer

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Message #8 received at 75916 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: Samuel Thibault <samuel.thibault <at> gnu.org>, 75916 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#75916: Making ls(1)'s --format clearer
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2025 20:20:54 +0000

On 28/01/2025 20:00, Samuel Thibault wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> ls(1) says this about --format:
> 
> --format=WORD
>         across  -x,  commas -m, horizontal -x, long -l, single-column -1,
>         verbose -l, vertical -C
> 
> It was not clear at all for my students (and not for me either,
> actually), that it's the words that should be used, and not the letters.
> 
> The attached patch makes this much more explicit:
> 
> --format=WORD where WORD can be
>         across  (like  -x),  commas (like -m), horizontal (like -x), long
>         (like -l), single-column (like -1), verbose (like  -l),  vertical
>         (like -C)

Right. It might suffice just to add the parentheses,
and then the description would be of consistent form with:

  --sort=WORD          sort by WORD instead of name: none (-U), size  (-S),  time  (-t),
          version (-v), extension (-X), width


  --indicator-style=WORD
          append  indicator with style WORD to entry names: none (default),
          slash (-p), file-type (--file-type), classify (-F)

I'll adjust accordingly and push if you agree.

cheers,
Pádraig

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