lla

Modern, customizable, feature-rich and extensible `ls` replacement.
Documentation · Features · Installation · Display Formats · Command Reference

Overview

lla is a modern ls replacement that transforms how developers interact with their filesystem. Built with Rust's performance capabilities and designed with user experience in mind, lla combines the familiarity of ls with powerful features like specialized views, Git integration, and a robust plugin system with an extensible list of plugins to add more functionality.

Features

Multiple Views: Default clean view, long format, tree structure, table layout, grid display
Git Integration: Built-in status visualization and repository insights
Advanced Organization: Timeline view, storage analysis, recursive exploration
Smart Search: complex filtering patterns (OR, AND, NOT, XOR), regex support
Customization: Plugin system, theme manager, custom shortcuts, configurable display
High Performance: Built with Rust, modern UI, clean listings
Smart Sorting: Multiple criteria, directory-first option, natural sorting
Flexible Config: Easy initialization, plugin management, configuration tools
Rich Plugin Ecosystem: File ops and metadata enhancements, code analysis, git tools, and more

Installation

Using Installation Script

The easiest way to install lla is using our installation script:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/chaqchase/lla/main/install.sh | bash

This script will automatically:

Detect your OS and architecture
Download the appropriate binary
Verify the checksum
Install lla to /usr/local/bin

Using Package Manager

Package Manager / Platform	Command
Cargo	`cargo install lla`
macOS (Homebrew)	`brew install lla`
Arch Linux (paru)	`paru -S lla`
NetBSD (pkgin)	`pkgin install lla`
X-CMD	`x install lla`

Manual Installation

# Manual - Example is for amd64 GNU, replaces the file names if downloading for a different arch.
wget -c https://github.com/triyanox/lla/releases/download/<version>/<lla-<os>-<arch>> -O lla # Example /v0.3.9/lla-linux-amd64
sudo chmod +x lla
sudo chown root:root lla
sudo mv lla /usr/local/bin/lla

Post Installation

After installation, initialize your setup:

# Create default config
lla init

# View your config
lla config

Display Formats

Core Views

Default View

Clean, distraction-free listing for quick directory scans:

lla

Long Format

Rich metadata display for detailed file analysis:

lla -l

Options and tweaks:

Hide the group column (useful on single-user systems):
```
lla -l --hide-group
```
Show relative dates (e.g., "2h ago"):
```
lla -l --relative-dates
```

To make these defaults, add to your config (~/.config/lla/config.toml):

[formatters.long]
hide_group = true
relative_dates = true

Tree Structure

Hierarchical exploration of directory relationships:

lla -t -d 3  # Navigate up to 3 levels deep

Archive Introspection

List archive contents as a virtual directory (no extraction). Supported: .zip, .tar, .tar.gz, .tgz.


lla my_archive.zip -t    # tree view
lla project.tar.gz -l    # long view
lla my_archive.tgz --json
lla my_archive.zip -l -f ".rs"  # filter by extension on internal paths

Single-file Listing

You can pass a single file path to list it directly with any view or machine output:
lla README.md          # default view
lla Cargo.toml -l      # long view
lla src/main.rs --json # machine output

Enhanced Organization

Table Layout

Structured view optimized for data comparison:
lla -T

Grid Display

Space-efficient layout for dense directories:
lla -g                  # Basic grid view
lla -g --grid-ignore    # Grid view ignoring terminal width (Warning: may extend beyond screen)

Note: Grid output no longer appends a trailing blank newline.
Specialized Views

Git Integration

Smart repository insights:
lla -G

Timeline Organization

Chronological file tracking:
lla --timeline

Storage Analysis

Visual disk usage insights:
lla -S # use --include-dirs to calculate directories sizes

Advanced Navigation

Fuzzy Search (Experimental)

Interactive file discovery:
lla --fuzzy

Deep Directory Exploration (Recursive)

Comprehensive subdirectory listing:
lla -R
lla -R -d 3  # Set exploration depth

The -R option can be integrated with other options to create a more specific view. For example, lla -R -l
will show a detailed listing of all files and directories in the current directory.
Machine Output

Stable, streaming machine-readable formats are available. These modes keep existing listing filters/sorts/depth behavior; only the output changes.

--json: Output a single JSON array (streamed). Use --pretty to pretty print.
--ndjson: Output newline-delimited JSON, one object per line.
--csv: Output CSV with a header row.

Flags are mutually exclusive. --pretty only affects --json.
JSON/NDJSON schema (stable fields):
{
  "path": "src/main.rs",
  "name": "main.rs",
  "extension": "rs" | null,
  "file_type": "file" | "dir" | "symlink" | "other",
  "size_bytes": 1234,
  "modified": "2024-05-01T12:34:56Z",
  "created": "..." | null,
  "accessed": "..." | null,
  "mode_octal": "0644",
  "owner_user": "mohamed" | null,
  "owner_group": "staff" | null,
  "inode": 1234567 | null,
  "hard_links": 1 | null,
  "symlink_target": "..." | null,
  "is_hidden": false,
  "git_status": "M." | null,
  "plugin": { /* plugin-provided fields, if any */ }
}

CSV columns (v1):
path,name,extension,file_type,size_bytes,modified,created,accessed,mode_octal,owner_user,owner_group,inode,hard_links,symlink_target,is_hidden,git_status

Examples:
lla --json --pretty
lla --ndjson
lla --csv
Command Reference

Display Options

Basic Views




Command
Short
Description
Example




(default)

List current directory
lla


--long
-l
Detailed file information with metadata
lla -l


--tree
-t
Hierarchical directory visualization
lla -t


--table
-T
Structured data display
lla -T


--grid
-g
Organized grid layout you can use -g --grid-ignore to ignore terminal width (Warning: may extend beyond screen)
lla -g



Advanced Views




Command
Short
Description
Example




--sizemap
-S
Visual representation of file sizes
lla -S 
 lla -S --include-dirs


--timeline

Group files by time periods
lla --timeline


--git
-G
Show git status and information
lla -G


--fuzzy
-F
Interactive fuzzy finder (Experimental)
lla --fuzzy


--recursive
-R
Recursive listing format
lla -R 
 lla -R -d 3



Display Modifiers




Command
Description
Example




--icons
Show icons for files and directories
lla --icons


--no-icons
Hide icons for files and directories
lla --no-icons


--no-color
Disable all colors in the output
lla --no-color


--permission-format
Set the format for displaying permissions (symbolic, octal, binary, verbose, compact)
lla --permission-format octal



Sort & Filter Options

Sorting




Command
Short
Description
Example




--sort
-s
Sort files by criteria
lla -s name 
 lla -s size 
 lla -s date


--sort-reverse
-r
Reverse the sort order
lla -s size -r


--sort-dirs-first

List directories before files
lla --sort-dirs-first


--sort-case-sensitive

Enable case-sensitive sorting
lla --sort-case-sensitive


--sort-natural

Natural number sorting (2.txt before 10.txt)
lla --sort-natural



Basic Filtering




Command
Short
Description
Example




--filter
-f
Filter files by pattern
lla -f "test" 
 lla -f ".rs"


--case-sensitive
-c
Enable case-sensitive filtering
lla -f "test" -c


--depth
-d
Set the depth for tree listing
lla -t -d 3 
 lla -d 2



Advanced Filtering Patterns




Filter Type
Example
Description




OR Operation
lla -f "test,spec"
Match files containing either "test" or "spec"


AND Operation
lla -f "+test,api"
Match files containing both "test" and "api"


Regular Expression
lla -f "regex:^test.*\.rs$"
Rust files starting with "test"


Glob Pattern
lla -f "glob:*.{rs,toml}"
Match .rs or .toml files


Composite AND
lla -f "test AND .rs"
Logical AND operation


Composite OR
lla -f "test OR spec"
Logical OR operation


Composite NOT
lla -f "NOT test"
Logical NOT operation


Composite XOR
lla -f "test XOR spec"
Logical XOR operation



View Filters

Show Only Filters




Command
Description
Example




--dirs-only
Show only directories
lla --dirs-only


--files-only
Show only regular files
lla --files-only


--symlinks-only
Show only symbolic links
lla --symlinks-only


--dotfiles-only
Show only dot files and directories
lla --dotfiles-only



Hide Filters




Command
Description
Example




--no-dirs
Hide directories
lla --no-dirs


--no-files
Hide regular files
lla --no-files


--no-symlinks
Hide symbolic links
lla --no-symlinks


--no-dotfiles
Hide dot files and directories
lla --no-dotfiles



Combined Filters




Description
Example




Show only dot directories
lla --dirs-only --dotfiles-only


Show only regular files, excluding dot files
lla --files-only --no-dotfiles



Plugin Management

Installation




Command
Description
Example




install --git
Install from Git repository
lla install --git https://github.com/user/plugin


install --dir
Install from local directory
lla install --dir path/to/plugin



Plugin Controls




Command
Description
Example




use
Interactive plugin manager
lla use


--enable-plugin
Enable specific plugins
lla --enable-plugin name


--disable-plugin
Disable specific plugins
lla --disable-plugin name


update
Update plugins
lla update 
 lla update file_tagger


plugin
Run plugin actions
lla plugin --name file_tagger --action add-tag --args README.md "important"



Shortcut Management




Command
Description
Example




shortcut add
Add a new shortcut
lla shortcut add find file_finder search -d "Quick file search"


shortcut remove
Remove a shortcut
lla shortcut remove find


shortcut list
List all shortcuts
lla shortcut list



Configuration & Setup




Command
Description
Example




init
Initialize the configuration file
lla init


config
View or modify configuration
lla config


theme
Interactive theme manager
lla theme


theme pull
Pull the built-in themes
lla theme pull


theme install
Install theme from file/directory
lla theme install /path/to/theme.toml
lla theme install /path/to/themes/


completion
Generate shell completion scripts
lla completion bash


clean
Clean up invalid plugins
lla clean



General Options




Command
Short
Description




--help
-h
Print help information


--version
-V
Print version information




Note
For detailed usage and examples of each command, visit the lla documentation.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
completions		completions
lla		lla
lla_plugin_interface		lla_plugin_interface
lla_plugin_utils		lla_plugin_utils
plugins		plugins
scripts		scripts
themes		themes
.envrc		.envrc
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
Cargo.lock		Cargo.lock
Cargo.toml		Cargo.toml
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
default.nix		default.nix
flake.lock		flake.lock
flake.nix		flake.nix
install.sh		install.sh
plugins.md		plugins.md
rust-toolchain.toml		rust-toolchain.toml
shell.nix		shell.nix

Command	Short	Description	Example
(default)		List current directory	`lla`
`--long`	`-l`	Detailed file information with metadata	`lla -l`
`--tree`	`-t`	Hierarchical directory visualization	`lla -t`
`--table`	`-T`	Structured data display	`lla -T`
`--grid`	`-g`	Organized grid layout you can use `-g --grid-ignore` to ignore terminal width (Warning: may extend beyond screen)	`lla -g`

Command	Short	Description	Example
`--sizemap`	`-S`	Visual representation of file sizes	`lla -S` `lla -S --include-dirs`
`--timeline`		Group files by time periods	`lla --timeline`
`--git`	`-G`	Show git status and information	`lla -G`
`--fuzzy`	`-F`	Interactive fuzzy finder (Experimental)	`lla --fuzzy`
`--recursive`	`-R`	Recursive listing format	`lla -R` `lla -R -d 3`

Command	Description	Example
`--icons`	Show icons for files and directories	`lla --icons`
`--no-icons`	Hide icons for files and directories	`lla --no-icons`
`--no-color`	Disable all colors in the output	`lla --no-color`
`--permission-format`	Set the format for displaying permissions (symbolic, octal, binary, verbose, compact)	`lla --permission-format octal`

Command	Short	Description	Example
`--sort`	`-s`	Sort files by criteria	`lla -s name` `lla -s size` `lla -s date`
`--sort-reverse`	`-r`	Reverse the sort order	`lla -s size -r`
`--sort-dirs-first`		List directories before files	`lla --sort-dirs-first`
`--sort-case-sensitive`		Enable case-sensitive sorting	`lla --sort-case-sensitive`
`--sort-natural`		Natural number sorting (2.txt before 10.txt)	`lla --sort-natural`

Command	Short	Description	Example
`--filter`	`-f`	Filter files by pattern	`lla -f "test"` `lla -f ".rs"`
`--case-sensitive`	`-c`	Enable case-sensitive filtering	`lla -f "test" -c`
`--depth`	`-d`	Set the depth for tree listing	`lla -t -d 3` `lla -d 2`

Filter Type	Example	Description
OR Operation	`lla -f "test,spec"`	Match files containing either "test" or "spec"
AND Operation	`lla -f "+test,api"`	Match files containing both "test" and "api"
Regular Expression	`lla -f "regex:^test.*\.rs$"`	Rust files starting with "test"
Glob Pattern	`lla -f "glob:*.{rs,toml}"`	Match .rs or .toml files
Composite AND	`lla -f "test AND .rs"`	Logical AND operation
Composite OR	`lla -f "test OR spec"`	Logical OR operation
Composite NOT	`lla -f "NOT test"`	Logical NOT operation
Composite XOR	`lla -f "test XOR spec"`	Logical XOR operation

Command	Description	Example
`--dirs-only`	Show only directories	`lla --dirs-only`
`--files-only`	Show only regular files	`lla --files-only`
`--symlinks-only`	Show only symbolic links	`lla --symlinks-only`
`--dotfiles-only`	Show only dot files and directories	`lla --dotfiles-only`

Command	Description	Example
`--no-dirs`	Hide directories	`lla --no-dirs`
`--no-files`	Hide regular files	`lla --no-files`
`--no-symlinks`	Hide symbolic links	`lla --no-symlinks`
`--no-dotfiles`	Hide dot files and directories	`lla --no-dotfiles`

Description	Example
Show only dot directories	`lla --dirs-only --dotfiles-only`
Show only regular files, excluding dot files	`lla --files-only --no-dotfiles`

Command	Description	Example
`install --git`	Install from Git repository	`lla install --git https://github.com/user/plugin`
`install --dir`	Install from local directory	`lla install --dir path/to/plugin`

Command	Description	Example
`use`	Interactive plugin manager	`lla use`
`--enable-plugin`	Enable specific plugins	`lla --enable-plugin name`
`--disable-plugin`	Disable specific plugins	`lla --disable-plugin name`
`update`	Update plugins	`lla update` `lla update file_tagger`
`plugin`	Run plugin actions	`lla plugin --name file_tagger --action add-tag --args README.md "important"`

Command	Description	Example
`shortcut add`	Add a new shortcut	`lla shortcut add find file_finder search -d "Quick file search"`
`shortcut remove`	Remove a shortcut	`lla shortcut remove find`
`shortcut list`	List all shortcuts	`lla shortcut list`

Command	Description	Example
`init`	Initialize the configuration file	`lla init`
`config`	View or modify configuration	`lla config`
`theme`	Interactive theme manager	`lla theme`
`theme pull`	Pull the built-in themes	`lla theme pull`
`theme install`	Install theme from file/directory	`lla theme install /path/to/theme.toml` `lla theme install /path/to/themes/`
`completion`	Generate shell completion scripts	`lla completion bash`
`clean`	Clean up invalid plugins	`lla clean`

Command	Short	Description
`--help`	`-h`	Print help information
`--version`	`-V`	Print version information

Latest commit

History

Folders and files

Repository files navigation

lla

Overview

Features

Installation

Using Installation Script

Using Package Manager

Manual Installation

Post Installation

Display Formats

Core Views

Default View

Long Format

Tree Structure

Archive Introspection

Single-file Listing

Enhanced Organization

Table Layout

Grid Display

Specialized Views

Git Integration

Timeline Organization

Storage Analysis

Advanced Navigation

Fuzzy Search (Experimental)

Deep Directory Exploration (Recursive)

Machine Output

Command Reference

Display Options

Basic Views

Advanced Views

Display Modifiers

Sort & Filter Options

Sorting

Basic Filtering

Advanced Filtering Patterns

View Filters

Show Only Filters

Hide Filters

Combined Filters

Plugin Management

Installation

Plugin Controls

Shortcut Management

Configuration & Setup

General Options

License

About

Resources

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases

Packages

Contributors

Languages

`About`

`Resources`

`Stars`

`Watchers`

`Forks`

`Releases`

`Packages`

`Contributors`

`Languages`