Re: Feature request: add option to show directories first

[Francesco Montorsi]

Hi,

Eric Blake wrote:
> [The fact that you sent this request to the old bug-fileutils list instead
> of bug-coreutils makes me wonder if you have the latest version of
> coreutils.  However, your request is still not present in CVS coreutils.]
sorry; I did not know that bug-fileutils was 'deprecated'


> > Hi,
> >    I think that an option which lets the user to see the usual file listing 
> > sorted 
> > alphabetically, but with directory entries grouped before the files, would be 
> > very useful.
>
>
> You are not the first to request this feature.  The problem is that no
> one has been bothered enough by the lack of this feature to actually
> contribute a patch.
ok, I understand; I could think to make a patch; unfortunately I'm very busy 
now...


> Things to think about - how would this option interact with other
> sort options?  For example, I think that the combination of
> the proposed --directories-first (or whatever it gets spelled as)
> alongside --sort=size would treat directories as a primary
> sort key and size as a secondary sort key. 
yes, that's the idea.
The --directories-first option would force ls to group all folders together at the 
beginning, regardeless of the (secondary) sort key.
The group of the folders would then be sorted using the selected sort key; and same for 
the files. This is the same approach for the "DIR" command of MSDOS:
http://www.computerhope.com/dirhlp.htm
(see /OG option)

> Is there ever any
> use for having another sort be the primary key and directory
> status being the second key?
I'm not sure to understand; I think that if the user explicitely tells to LS to show the 
directories as first entries, then 'directory status' should be always considered to be 
the primary sort key...

Thanks,
Francesco