[SOLVED] How do you turn off an option in an alias?

Jeff9 · 08-12-2013, 09:49 AM

I don't care for the default linux file listing. So I made an alias in my .bashrc (or maybe .bash_profile - one of those two), like this

Code:

> alias ls
alias ls='ls -al -p --color=always --group-directories-first'

This gives me the files' date and size along with the name.

But now I want to list just the files, nothing, and one per line. That is, if I didn't have the alias, I'd want to do ls -1.

But when I try that, I get my standard listing. Obviously the -al and -p options are still in effect. How would I turn those options off temporarily?

Firerat · 08-12-2013, 11:01 AM

much of what you are doing is 'redundant'

assuming your dircolors is setup correctly the colour should indicate a directory
also with -l the permissions field will indicate directory ( have a d in it ) so do you really need the trailing / to also indicate dir?

personally I have

Code:

alias ls='ls --color=auto'

and I just add what I need when I need it
but it is common to setup other aliases

Code:

alias ll='ls -l'
alias la='ls -A'
alias l='ls -CF'

so you could have

Code:

alias ls='ls --color=auto'
alias ls='l1 -1'

A more direct answer,

Code:

function ls () { /bin/ls -1 $@; }

when done with your temporary ls

Code:

unset ls

but is it 'worth it'?

edit: actually, that doesn’t work...

you could have separate 'source' alias files

Code:

cat > ~/.bashrc_lsAll << "EOF"
alias ls='ls -al -p --color=always --group-directories-first'
EOF
cat > ~/.bashrc_lsOne  << "EOF"
alias ls='ls -1 --color=always'
EOF

and 'source' those with

Code:

source ~/.bashrc_lsOne
# or
. ~/.bashrc_lsOne

When done, go back to

Code:

. ~/.bashrc_lsAll
# or even
. ~/.profile # but that will 'reset' everything you have setup in that shell session

if you ask me, it is simply not worth it

I just add what I need, when I need it, on the command line.

you may also like to use --color=auto instead of always, that will save you some pain if you want to pipe your output through other programs such as grep, sed, awk or into a text file.

TobiSGD · 08-12-2013, 11:50 AM

If you don't want your alias come into effect you can simply invoke the command with its full path, for example

Code:

/bin/ls -1

Alternatively, precede the command with a backslash, like

Code:

\ls -1

Firerat · 08-12-2013, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

Alternatively, precede the command with a backslash, like

Code:

\ls -1

nice, didn't know about the backslash..

schneidz · 08-12-2013, 12:20 PM

why dont you just rename the alias ?

szboardstretcher · 08-12-2013, 12:24 PM

You can always 'unalias' it. Or you can tmp login to a subshell without aliases.

Jeff9 · 08-12-2013, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firerat

...
I just add what I need, when I need it, on the command line.

you may also like to use --color=auto instead of always, that will save you some pain if you want to pipe your output through other programs such as grep, sed, awk or into a text file.

Thanks for the tips. I'll use some of them (well, not the one you crossed out!).

I have the trailing slash on the directories so that I can pull out directories only from long file listings with ls | grep "^d". But I also like them colored so that I can identify them in shorter listings (and on top, where they belong!

).

---------- Post added 08-12-13 at 01:42 PM ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

If you don't want your alias come into effect you can simply invoke the command with its full path, for example

Code:

/bin/ls -1

Alternatively, precede the command with a backslash, like

Code:

\ls -1

What Firerat said.

Habitual · 08-12-2013, 12:49 PM

Code:

type ls
ls is aliased to `ls --color=auto'

escaping with "\" works as does unalias <suspected_alias>

Code:

bash --norc

caused one on another host to 'default' to

Code:

ls is /bin/ls

or....

Code:

alias ls=<enter>

"works" until you re-source, or re-bash, or logout|in.

HTH.

Firerat · 08-12-2013, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff9

Thanks for the tips. I'll use some of them (well, not the one you crossed out!).

my post is pretty much redundant given the \ trick

Jeff9 · 04-26-2014, 02:05 PM

(Just cleaning up old threads I started now that I know you guys like solved threads marked "solved".)

From the posts above, realized that my profile was best setup as

Quote:

alias ls='ls -al --color=auto --group-directories-first'
alias lsd='ls -al -p --color=auto --group-directories-first | grep ''^d'''

And use the "slash trick", \ls, otherwise.