14.9. Keep ls Output from Scrolling
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 are then able
to see the output one screen at at time.
To read the contents of /etc with
less, type the following command at the shell
prompt:
To move forward a screen, press [Space] bar; to
move back a screen, press the [b] key; to quit, press
[q].
You can achieve the same results with more,
another paging utility.
14.9.1. Printing ls Output
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:
