ls.types

List script files by language type using shebang detection or file extension.

A single script that serves as multiple commands via symlink dispatch. Call it as ls.bash for Bash files, ls.python for Python, ls.php for PHP, etc.

Installation

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/Open-Technology-Foundation/ls.types.git
cd ls.types

# System-wide install (root)
sudo make install

# User install (no root)
make install

# Uninstall
[sudo] make uninstall

Context	Script	Config
sudo make install	/usr/local/bin/	/etc/ls.types/
make install	~/.local/bin/	~/.local/share/ls.types/

Manual setup (without make):

./ls.types -S create      # Create symlinks in script directory

Usage

ls.bash                   # Bash files in current dir
ls.bash /ai/scripts       # Bash files in specified dir
ls.bash /dir1 /dir2       # Search multiple directories
ls.bash -d 2 .            # Depth 2 (recursive)
ls.bash -rl /ai/scripts   # Realpath + ls listing (clustered options)
ls.bash -L /scripts       # Include symlinked files

ls.python .               # Python files
ls.php /var/www           # PHP files

Options

Option	Description
-d, --maxdepth N	Max find depth (default: 1)
-r, --realpath	Output absolute paths
-l, --ls	Format as ls -lhA --color=always listing
-L, --follow	Follow symbolic links
-E, --edit	Interactive config editor
-S, --symlinks [ACTION] [DIR]	Manage symlinks (list|create)
-V, --version	Show version
-h, --help	Show help

Short options can be clustered: -Lrl is equivalent to -L -r -l.

Configuration

Config file format (types.conf):

symlink:filetype:shebang_pattern:extensions
ls.bash:Bash:bash:sh,bash
ls.python:Python:python:py,python
ls.php:PHP:php:php

Fields:

• symlink - Command name (dispatch key)
• filetype - Human-readable label
• shebang_pattern - Regex matched against ^#!.*{pattern}
• extensions - Comma-separated file extensions (no dots)

Config Search Order (FHS-compliant)

1. /etc/ls.types/types.conf
2. /usr/local/share/ls.types/types.conf
3. /usr/share/ls.types/types.conf
4. Script directory (development/fallback)

Adding a New Language

ls.bash -E                # Launch interactive config editor

Add entry:

ls.js:JavaScript:node:js,mjs,cjs

Create symlinks:

ls.bash -S create

Use:

ls.js .

File Matching

Files are matched using priority-based logic:

1. Shebang match (primary) - First line matches ^#!.*{pattern}
2. Extension fallback - Checked only if shebang doesn't match
3. Binary exclusion - Files detected as binary via file --mime-encoding are skipped
4. Readability - Unreadable files are silently skipped

Output Modes

Plain (default):

ls.bash /scripts
# /scripts/deploy.sh
# /scripts/backup.sh

Realpath (-r):

ls.bash -r /scripts
# /home/user/scripts/deploy.sh
# /home/user/scripts/backup.sh

Listing (-l):

ls.bash -l /scripts
# -rwxr-xr-x 1 user group 1.2K 2026-01-13 09:15 /scripts/deploy.sh

Combined (-rl):

ls.bash -rl /scripts
# Absolute paths with ls -lhA formatting

Symlink Management

List symlinks:

ls.bash -S                # Or: ls.bash -S list
# Symlinks defined in /path/to/types.conf:
#   ls.bash      [exists]  -> /path/to/ls.types
#   ls.python    [missing]

Create symlinks:

ls.bash -S create         # In script directory
ls.bash -S create /target # In specified directory

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	Config not found, invalid directory, or symlink creation failed
22	Unknown option

Requirements

• Bash 5.2+
• GNU coreutils (find, realpath)
• file (MIME encoding detection)

License

GPL-3.0