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

git clone https://github.com/Open-Technology-Foundation/ls.types.git
cd ls.types
sudo make install

make install lays down:

Artefact	Destination
ls.types binary + 7 dispatch symlinks	/usr/local/bin/
types.conf (preserved if already present)	/etc/ls.types/
Manpage ls.types.1 + per-symlink aliases	/usr/local/share/man/man1/
Bash completion	/etc/bash_completion.d/ls.types

Paths are overridable via PREFIX, CONFDIR, MANDIR, COMPDIR. DESTDIR is honoured for staged/packaged installs.

sudo make uninstall       # Remove installed files
make check                # Verify ls.types is in PATH

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
--	End of options
-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 - Substring fragment inserted into regex ^#!.*{pattern} (not a full regex — do not include anchors)
• 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)

Default Symlinks

The following symlinks are created by make install and listed in the shipped types.conf:

Symlink	Type	Shebang pattern	Extensions
ls.bash	Bash	bash	sh, bash
ls.python	Python	python	py, python
ls.php	PHP	php	php
ls.js	JavaScript	node	js, mjs, cjs
ls.perl	Perl	perl	pl, pm
ls.ruby	Ruby	ruby	rb
ls.sh	Shell	/bin/sh	sh

Adding a New Language

ls.bash -E                # Launch interactive config editor (honours $EDITOR, defaults to nano)

Add entry:

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

After saving, the editor prompts to create symlinks for the updated config. Or run manually:

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	Runtime failure (config not found, unknown symlink, invalid directory, symlink creation failed, unwritable config)
22	Invalid option or argument (unknown option, missing or non-numeric -d value)

Requirements

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

License

GPL-3.0