Using ls to list directories and their total sizes

📝Title: "How to Use ls to List Directories and Their Total Sizes in Unix"

💡Introduction: Hey there, fellow techies! 🖐️ Have you ever wondered if it's possible to use the ls command in Unix to list the total size of a sub-directory and all its contents? 🤔 Well, you've come to the right place! In this blog post, we'll tackle this intriguing question and provide you with some easy and effective solutions. So, let's dive in, shall we? 💻🚀

🧠Understanding the Problem: The default output of the ls command typically displays the size of directories as 4.0K. However, this only refers to the size of the directory file itself, not the total size of its contents. Many developers and sysadmins crave a way to overcome this limitation and display the comprehensive size of a sub-directory, including all the files and sub-directories it contains. Thankfully, there are a few simple tricks to achieve this!

🔧Solution 1: du and ls: One way to obtain the total size of a directory and its contents is by combining the power of du and ls commands. Here's how you can do it:

1. Open your terminal.

2. Navigate to the parent directory where the sub-directory you want to analyze is located.

3. Type the following command: du -shc sub-directory/* | tail -1.

4. Voila! The total size, including all the files and sub-directories within the specified sub-directory, will be displayed in human-readable format. 🌍

➡️Example: Let's say you want to find the total size of the "documents" sub-directory. Here's what the command would look like: du -shc documents/* | tail -1. Running this will give you an output like: 2.1G total. Now you have the complete size of the "documents" directory and all its contents. Amazing, right? 🎉

🔧Solution 2: du Only: If you prefer to use only the du command and avoid combining it with ls, fret not! There's another way to achieve the same result:

1. Open your terminal.

2. Navigate to the parent directory where the sub-directory you want to analyze is located.

3. Type the following command: du -sh sub-directory.

4. You're done! The total size of the sub-directory and its contents will be displayed in a human-readable format. Easy peasy! 🌟

➡️Example: Let's imagine you want to check the total size of the "images" sub-directory. Simply use the command: du -sh images. This will provide you with an output like: 1.5G images. Boom! You've successfully obtained the total size without any complications. Awesome, isn't it? 💥

📣Call-to-Action: Now that you know how to utilize the ls command to list directories and their total sizes like a pro, it's time to put your newfound knowledge to the test! Go ahead and try it out on your own directories. Feel free to share your experiences or any other cool tricks you've discovered in the comments section below. Let's geek out together! 🤓💬

That's a wrap, my tech-savvy friends! We've explored how to conquer the challenge of using ls to list directories and display their total sizes accurately. It's all about unleashing the power of du and a bit of creativity! Now you can impress your colleagues and save time when investigating disk space usage. Until next time, happy coding! 🎉👩‍💻👨‍💻