Linux/Unix desktop fun: sl – a mirror version of ls

One of the most common mistakes is typing sl instead of ls command. I set up an alias, i.e., alias sl=ls; but then you may miss out the steam train with a whistle.

sl is a joke software or classic UNIX game. It is a steam locomotive runs across your screen if you type “sl” (Steam Locomotive) instead of “ls” by mistake. Now there is a twist to older sl command.

sl – a mirror version of ls

From the blog post:

I didn’t like it and made another program of the same name. My sl just mirrors the output of ls. It accepts most ls(1) arguments and is best enjoyed with -l.

source code

The program is written in the bash shell. Here is the source code:

#!/bin/bash
# sl – prints a mirror image of ls. (C) 2017 Tobias Girstmair, https://gir.st/, GPLv3

LEN=$(ls “$@” |wc -L) # get the length of the longest line

ls “$@” | rev | while read -r line
do
printf “%$.$s\n” “$line” | sed ‘s/^(s+)(S+)/21/’
done

#!/bin/bash
# sl – prints a mirror image of ls. (C) 2017 Tobias Girstmair, https://gir.st/, GPLv3 LEN=$(ls “$@” |wc -L) # get the length of the longest line ls “$@” | rev | while read -r line
do
printf “%$.$s\n” “$line” | sed ‘s/^(s+)(S+)/21/’
done

Run it as follows

First create ~/bin/ directory using the mkdir command:

$ mkdir ~/bin/ Next, store above source code. cd into the ~/bin/ using the cd command:

$ cd ~/bin/
$ vi sl Save and close the file. Set permission on your shell script using the chmod command:

$ chmod +x sl Test it:

$ ls -l
$ ./sl -l Sample outputs from sl command:

txt.qaf.detaeler.km >- txt.smc.detaeler.km 05:41 32 ceD 91 keviv keviv 1 xwrxwrxwrl
qaf.detaeler.km 72:41 11 ceD 709 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
etalpmet.qaf.detaeler.km 34:51 61 voN 121 keviv keviv 1 –r–r-wr-
txt.qaf.detaeler.km 85:00 01 beF 014 keviv keviv 1 –r–r-wr-
spit.detaeler.km 94:41 32 ceD 709 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
etalpmet.spit.detaeler.km 84:41 32 ceD 121 keviv keviv 1 –r–r-wr-
ssr.setadpu.km 95:00 7 naJ 618 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
etalpmet.ssr.setadpu.km 24:22 2 naJ 463 keviv keviv 1 –r–r-wr-
txt.ssr.setadpu.km 22:12 02 beF 4221 keviv keviv 1 –r–r-wr-
hs.014.xnign 43:11 6 naJ 684 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
hs.103.moc.tfarcxin 5102 52 rpA 631 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
etacsufbo 5102 91 luJ 9931 keviv keviv 1 –r–r-wr-
hs.lapyap 84:41 02 ceD 865 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
txt.lapyap 7102 03 naJ 4131 keviv keviv 1 –r–r-wr-
hs.daolputsop 3102 13 ceD 135 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
hs.daolpuerp 3102 13 ceD 734 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
hs.niamod.eralfduolc.lla.egrup 7102 81 yaM 6401 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
nohtyp 05:20 5 beF 6904 keviv keviv 2 x-rx-rxwrd
ls 92:61 13 raM 672 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
resu.tidder.ecruos 7102 42 naJ 911 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
014.deteled.sgat 95:32 02 raM 97732 keviv keviv 1 –r–r-wr-
hs.teewt 53:10 62 naJ 58653 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
tob-rettiwt 90:32 4 beF 6904 keviv keviv 2 x-rx-rxwrd
smc.elif.daolpu 7102 9 nuJ 907 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
qaf.elif.daolpu 7102 9 nuJ 807 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
pit.elif.daolpu 7102 9 nuJ 907 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
hs.egamidaolpu 3102 81 tcO 3911 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
nalnoekaw 00:41 21 tcO 1325 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-
2x 7102 52 nuJ 017 keviv keviv 1 x-rx-rxwr-

How to setup bash shell alias

The syntax is:

alias name=value Add the following to the ~/.bashrc file:

echo ‘alias sl=”/home/$USER/bin/sl -l”‘ >> ~/.bashrc Load it:

$ source ~/.bashrc Test it:

$ sl sl - a mirror version of ls command

How to verify sl command execution path

Use the type command or command command as follows:

$ type -a sl

sl is aliased to `/home/vivek/bin/sl -l’
sl is /home/vivek/bin/sl
sl is /usr/games/sl $ command -V sl

alias sl=’/home/vivek/bin/sl -l’

You can temporarily disable an alias using any one of the following method:

“command”
command”
sl
ls
command ls
command sl For more info see this page.

Posted by: Vivek Gite

The author is the creator of nixCraft and a seasoned sysadmin, DevOps engineer, and a trainer for the Linux operating system/Unix shell scripting. Get the latest tutorials on SysAdmin, Linux/Unix and open source topics via RSS/XML feed or weekly email newsletter.

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