Simple, opinionated replacement for ls:

• Formatted list view
• Colored output
• Optional permission strings
• Hidden-file support
• Directory visibility controls
• Simple glob filtering

lx shows directories first, then files, with each group sorted alphabetically. It displays file sizes, modification dates, modification times, and color-coded names so directory listings are easy to scan.

CLI flags override configuration settings.

List the current directory:

lx

List another directory:

lx src
lx ..

Show hidden files:

lx --all
lx -a

Show permission strings:

lx --permissions
lx -p

Hide directories:

lx --no-showdir

Show directories when configuration hides them:

lx --showdir

Show the app version:

lx --version
lx -v

Use a glob pattern:

lx '*.md'
lx 'src/*.rs'

Configuration file ~/.config/lx.toml. Created when lx is first run.

Default configuration (only suits a dark terminal theme).

[settings]
all = false
permissions = false
showdir = true

[colors]
size = "32"
date = "34"
time = "34"
file = "38;5;250"
dir = "33"
exec = "32"

Color values are ANSI Select Graphic Rendition (SGR) parameters. For example:

• "32" = green foreground
• "34" = blue foreground
• "33" = yellow foreground
• "38;5;250" = 256-color foreground color 250

You can use standard foreground colors like 30-37, bright foreground colors like 90-97, or 256-color foreground values in the form 38;5;N, where N is 0-255.

For more options, see the ANSI escape code SGR color reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANSI_escape_code#SGR_(Select_Graphic_Rendition)_parameters

cargo build

The debug binary is written to:

./target/debug/lx

lx is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

Russell Dickenson + AI coding agents