Format Stdin As Multiple Columns

Formats input data into specified columnar structures for easier readability.

Terminal

ls | git column --mode=<column>

ls | git column --mode=<column>

#!/bin/bash

# Format Stdin As Multiple Columns
ls | git column --mode={{column}}

When To Use

When analyzing large logs or outputs that need to be interpreted in a tabular format.

Pro Tip

To improve performance, consider piping data through `grep` before formatting to reduce input size.

Command Builder

Tune the command before you copy it

Generated Command

ls | git column --mode=<column>

Anatomy of Output

Entry 1 | Entry 2 Column Output

Displays correctly formatted entries in the specified number of columns.

------------|------------ Separator Line

Visual guide indicating the separation of columns.

More entries may be available... Continuation Message

Signifies that the input has additional entries not displayed.

Power User Variants

ls | git column --sort

Sorts the output entries after formatting.

ls | git column --width=80

Specifies the width of the column output.

Troubleshooting

bash: column: command not found

Solution: Ensure that the `bsdmainutils` package is installed or use `apt install bsdmainutils`.

grep: missing operand

Solution: Provide a valid pattern for `grep`.

ls: cannot access 'ls': No such file or directory

Solution: Ensure the command preceding ls is correctly formatted and the path exists.

Command Breakdown

ls: Base Command; The executable that performs this operation. Here it runs Ls before the shell applies any redirect operators.
<column>: column; The value supplied for column.
--mode=<column>: Command Option; Tool-specific option used by this command invocation.

Alternative Approaches

Alternative version control tools for the same job.