* Hiding Subdirectories:: Making subdirectories visible or invisible.
* Updating: Dired Updating. Discarding lines for files of no interest.
* Find: Dired and Find. Using `find' to choose the files for Dired.
+* Misc: Misc Dired Commands. Various other features.
@end menu
@node Dired Enter
give to @code{ls} for listing directory; this string @emph{must} contain
@samp{-l}. If you use a numeric prefix argument with the @code{dired}
command, you can specify the @code{ls} switches with the minibuffer
-before you enter the directory specification.
+before you enter the directory specification. No matter how they are
+specified, the @code{ls} switches should all be short options (that
+is, single characters) requiring no arguments.
@findex dired-other-window
@kindex C-x 4 d
so common in Dired that it deserves to be easy to type.) @key{DEL}
(move up and unflag) is often useful simply for moving up.
+@findex dired-goto-file
+@kindex M-g
+ @kbd{M-g} (@code{dired-goto-file}) moves point to the line that
+describes a specified file or directory.
+
Some additional navigation commands are available when the Dired
buffer includes several directories. @xref{Subdirectory Motion}.
@item v
@kindex v @r{(Dired)}
@findex dired-view-file
-View the file described on the current line, using @kbd{M-x view-file}
-(@code{dired-view-file}).
+View the file described on the current line, using either an external
+viewing program or @kbd{M-x view-file} (@code{dired-view-file}).
-Viewing a file is like visiting it, but is slanted toward moving around
-in the file conveniently and does not allow changing the file.
-@xref{Misc File Ops,View File, Miscellaneous File Operations}.
+@vindex dired-view-command-alist
+External viewers are used for certain file types under the control of
+@code{dired-view-command-alist}. Viewing a file with @code{view-file}
+is like visiting it, but is slanted toward moving around in the file
+conveniently and does not allow changing the file. @xref{Misc File
+Ops,View File, Miscellaneous File Operations}.
@item ^
@kindex ^ @r{(Dired)}
@item * @@
@kindex * @@ @r{(Dired)}
@findex dired-mark-symlinks
-@cindex marking symlinks (in Dired)
+@cindex marking symbolic links (in Dired)
Mark all symbolic links with @samp{*} (@code{dired-mark-symlinks}).
With a numeric argument, unmark all those files.
@item * t
@kindex * t @r{(Dired)}
-@findex dired-do-toggle
+@findex dired-toggle-marks
@cindex toggling marks (in Dired)
-Toggle all marks (@code{dired-do-toggle}): files marked with @samp{*}
+Toggle all marks (@code{dired-toggle-marks}): files marked with @samp{*}
become unmarked, and unmarked files are marked with @samp{*}. Files
marked in any other way are not affected.
@findex dired-do-symlink
@kindex S @r{(Dired)}
-@cindex symlinks (in Dired)
+@cindex symbolic links (creation in Dired)
@item S @var{new} @key{RET}
Make symbolic links to the specified files (@code{dired-do-symlink}).
The argument @var{new} is the directory to make the links in, or (if
program to use to do the work (different systems put @code{chown} in
different places).
+@findex dired-do-touch
+@kindex T @r{(Dired)}
+@cindex changing file time (in Dired)
+@item T @var{timestamp} @key{RET}
+Change the time of the specified files (@code{dired-do-touch}).
+
@findex dired-do-print
@kindex P @r{(Dired)}
@cindex printing files (in Dired)
@itemize @bullet
@item
-If you use @samp{*} in the shell command, then it runs just once, with
-the list of file names substituted for the @samp{*}. The order of file
-names is the order of appearance in the Dired buffer.
+If you use @samp{*} surrounded by whitespace in the shell command,
+then the command runs just once, with the list of file names
+substituted for the @samp{*}. The order of file names is the order of
+appearance in the Dired buffer.
Thus, @kbd{! tar cf foo.tar * @key{RET}} runs @code{tar} on the entire
list of file names, putting them into one tar file @file{foo.tar}.
+If you want to use @samp{*} as a shell wildcard with whitespace around
+it, write @samp{*""}. In the shell, this is equivalent to @samp{*};
+but since the @samp{*} is not surrounded by whitespace, Dired does
+not treat it specially.
+
@item
-If the command string doesn't contain @samp{*}, then it runs once
-@emph{for each file}, with the file name added at the end.
+If the command string doesn't contain @samp{*} surrounded by
+whitespace, then it runs once @emph{for each file}. Normally the file
+name is added at the end.
For example, @kbd{! uudecode @key{RET}} runs @code{uudecode} on each
file.
-@end itemize
-What if you want to run the shell command once for each file, with the
-file name inserted in the middle? You can use @samp{?} in the command
-instead of @samp{*}. The current file name is substituted for
-@samp{?}. You can use @samp{?} more than once. For instance, here is
-how to uuencode each file, making the output file name by appending
-@samp{.uu} to the input file name:
+@item
+If the command string contains @samp{?} surrounded by whitespace, the
+current file name is substituted for @samp{?}. You can use @samp{?}
+this way more than once in the command, and each occurrence is
+replaced. For instance, here is how to uuencode each file, making the
+output file name by appending @samp{.uu} to the input file name:
@example
uuencode ? ? > ?.uu
@end example
+@end itemize
-To use the file names in a more complicated fashion, you can use a
-shell loop. For example, this shell command is another way to
-uuencode each file:
+To iterate over the file names in a more complicated fashion, use an
+explicit shell loop. For example, this shell command is another way
+to uuencode each file:
@example
-for file in *; do uuencode "$file" "$file" >"$file".uu; done
+for file in * ; do uuencode "$file" "$file" >"$file".uu; done
@end example
+@noindent
+This simple example doesn't require a shell loop (you can do it
+with @samp{?}, but it illustrates the technique.
+
The working directory for the shell command is the top-level directory
of the Dired buffer.
files, or on the marked files if any; but it does not operate on the
current file as a last resort.
- If you kill the line for a file that is a directory, the directory's
-contents are also deleted from the buffer. Typing @kbd{C-u k} on the
-header line for a subdirectory is another way to delete a subdirectory
-from the Dired buffer.
+ If you use @kbd{k} with a numeric prefix argument to kill the line
+for a file that is a directory, which you have inserted in the Dired
+buffer as a subdirectory, then this deletes that subdirectory from the
+buffer as well. Typing @kbd{C-u k} on the header line for a subdirectory
+is another way to delete a subdirectory from the Dired buffer.
The @kbd{g} command brings back any individual lines that you have
killed in this way, but not subdirectories---you must use @kbd{i} to
@code{find} what condition to test. To use this command, you need to
know how to use @code{find}.
+@vindex find-ls-option
+ The format of listing produced by these commands is controlled by the
+variable @code{find-ls-option}, whose default value specifies using
+options @samp{-ld} for @code{ls}. If your listings are corrupted, you
+may need to change the value of this variable.
+
@findex locate
@findex locate-with-filter
@cindex file database (locate)
program. @kbd{M-x locate-with-filter} is similar, but keeps only lines
matching a given regular expression.
-@vindex find-ls-option
- The format of listing produced by these commands is controlled by the
-variable @code{find-ls-option}, whose default value specifies using
-options @samp{-ld} for @code{ls}. If your listings are corrupted, you
-may need to change the value of this variable.
+These buffers don't work entirely like ordinary Dired buffers. File
+operations work, but do not always automatically update the buffer.
+Reverting the buffer with @kbd{g} deletes all inserted subdirectories,
+and erases all flags and marks.
+
+@node Misc Dired Commands
+@section Other Dired Commands
+
+@table @kbd
+@item w
+@cindex Adding to the kill ring in Dired.
+@kindex w
+@findex dired-copy-filename-as-kill
+The @kbd{w} command (@code{dired-copy-filename-as-kill}) puts the
+names of the marked (or next @var{n}) files into the kill ring, as if
+you had killed them with @kbd{C-w}. With a zero prefix argument
+@var{n}=0, use the absolute file name of each marked file. With just
+@kbd{C-u} as the prefix argument, use the relative file name of each
+marked file. As a special case, if no prefix argument is given and
+point is on a directory headerline, @kbd{w} gives you the name of that
+directory without looking for marked files.
+
+@vindex dired-marked-files
+The main purpose of the @kbd{w} command is so that you can yank the
+file names into arguments for other Emacs commands. It also displays
+what was pushed onto the kill ring, so you can use it to display the
+list of currently marked files in the echo area. It also stores the
+list of names in the variable @code{dired-marked-files}, for use in
+Lisp expressions.
+@end table
+
+@ignore
+ arch-tag: d105f9b9-fc1b-4c5f-a949-9b2cf3ca2fc1
+@end ignore