[SOLVED] How to check the ls version

Issue

This topic is about the util 'ls' The BSD version uses the parameter '-G' to color up the output, while the Linux version uses parameter '--color'

Also the environment variable to set the colors is different: BSD: $LSCOLORS Linux: $LS_COLORS

But now the problem is: I want to determine which version is installed (using a small Shell script), so I can set alias ls and the environment appropriate in my .bachrc file.

Solution

As I mentioned above this seems to me to be the handiest method

if ls --color -d . >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    GNU_LS=1
elif ls -G -d . >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    BSD_LS=1
else
    SOLARIS_LS=1
fi

I've essentially this in my l script, which I use on various platforms to tweak ls output as I like

Answered By - pixelbeat

Answer Checked By - Dawn Plyler (WPSolving Volunteer)