View source for Dir (command)

{{Short description|Shell command for listing files and directories}}
{{Other uses|Dir (disambiguation)}}
{{Lowercase title}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = dir
| logo                   = 
| screenshot             = SpartaDOS X prompt.png
| screenshot size        = 
| caption                = The [[SpartaDOS X]] <code>DIR</code> command
| developer              = [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]], [[Digital Research|DR]], [[Intel]], [[Cromemco]], [[MetaComCo]], [[Microsoft]], [[IBM]], [[Datalight]], ICD, Inc.
| released               = 
| latest release version = 
| latest release date    = 
| operating system       = [[CP/M]], [[MP/M]], [[ISIS (operating system)|ISIS-II]], [[RMX (operating system)|iRMX 86]], [[Cromemco DOS|CDOS]], [[TRIPOS]], [[DOS]], [[MSX-DOS]], [[SISNE plus]], [[4690 Operating System|4690 OS]], [[PC-MOS]], [[OS/2]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Singularity (operating system)|Singularity]], [[ReactOS]], [[AROS Research Operating System|AROS]], [[OpenVMS|VMS]], [[RT-11]], [[RSX-11]], [[OS/8]], [[AmigaDOS]]
| platform               = [[Cross-platform]]
| genre                  = [[Command (computing)|Command]]
| license                = CP/M, MP/M: [[BSD licenses|BSD]]-like<br />MS-DOS: [[MIT License|MIT]]<br />PC-MOS: [[GPL-3.0-only]]<br />ReactOS: [[GNU General Public License|GPL]]
| website                = 
}}
'''<code>dir</code>''', short for ''directory'', is a [[shell (computing)|shell]] [[command (computing)|command]] for listing [[file system]] contents; [[computer file|files]] and [[file directory|directories]].<ref>{{cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/1988-rugheimer-spanik-amigados-quick-reference|title=AmigaDOS quick reference|first1=Hannes|last1=Rügheimer|first2=Christian|last2=Spanik|date=October 22, 1988|publisher=Grand Rapids, Mi : Abacus|isbn=9781557550491|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Arguably, the command provides the same essential functionality as the <code>[[ls]]</code> command, but typically the two commands are described as notably separate concepts, possibly since {{code|ls}} is implemented from a [[codebase]] that shares more history than many {{code|dir}} implementations.

The command is often implemented as internal in the [[operating system]] [[shell (computing)|shell]] instead of as a separate application as many other commands are. 

==Implementations==
[[File:Abort Retry Fail.PNG|200px|thumb|right|Screenshot showing the "[[Abort, Retry, Fail?]]" prompt on [[MS-DOS]].]]

Although syntax, semantics and implementations vary, a {{code|dir}} command is available in the [[command-line interface]] (CLI) of the [[operating system]]s [[Digital Research]] [[CP/M]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cpm.z80.de/manuals/cpm22-m.pdf |title=Operating manual |publisher=cpm.z80.de |access-date=2019-10-22}}</ref> [[MP/M]],<ref name="MP/M_1981_UG">{{cite book |author=Digital Research |author-link=Digital Research |title=MP/M-86 Operating System - User's Guide |date=1981-09-25 |edition=1 |publisher=[[Digital Research]] |location=Pacific Grove, CA, USA |url=http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/digitalResearch/mpm-86/MPM-86_Users_Guide_Sep81.pdf |access-date=2017-01-04 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104172228/http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/digitalResearch/mpm-86/MPM-86_Users_Guide_Sep81.pdf |archive-date=2017-01-04}}</ref> [[Intel]] [[ISIS (operating system)|ISIS-II]],<ref>[http://bitsavers.org/pdf/intel/ISIS_II/9800306-06_ISIS-II_Users_Guide_May81.pdf ISIS II Users Guide]</ref> [[RMX (operating system)|iRMX 86]],<ref>[https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_inteliRMX1_19819263 iRMX 86 INTRODUCTION AND OPERATOR'S REFERENCE MANUAL For Release 6]</ref> [[Cromemco]] [[Cromemco DOS|CDOS]],<ref>[http://www.hartetechnologies.com/manuals/Cromemco/CDOSv1.PDF CDOS USER'S MANUAL]</ref> [[MetaComCo]] [[TRIPOS]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pagetable.com/docs/amigados_tripos/tripos_manuals.pdf |title=Introduction to Tripos |access-date=2019-10-22}}</ref> [[DOS]], [[IBM]]/[[Toshiba]] [[4690 Operating System|4690 OS]],<ref>[https://archive.org/details/4690OSV6r2UsersGuide/page/n169]{{Dead link|date=October 2019}}</ref> IBM [[OS/2]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jatomes.com/Help/Os2Cmd.php#DIR|title=JaTomes Help - OS/2 Commands|website=www.jatomes.com|access-date=2019-07-20|archive-date=2019-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414130029/http://www.jatomes.com/Help/Os2Cmd.php#DIR|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Microsoft Windows]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.computerhope.com/dirhlp.htm|title=MS-DOS and Windows command line dir command|website=www.computerhope.com}}</ref> [[Singularity (operating system)|Singularity]], [[Datalight]] [[ROM-DOS]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.datalight.com/assets/files/ROM-DOS_Users_Guide.pdf|title=Datalight ROM-DOS User's Guide|website=www.datalight.com}}</ref> [[ReactOS]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/reactos/reactos|title=GitHub - reactos/reactos: A free Windows-compatible Operating System|date=October 22, 2019|via=GitHub}}</ref> [[GNU#GNU as an operating system|GNU]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/dir|title=GNU Coreutils Manual|publisher=Free Software Foundation}}</ref> [[AROS Research Operating System|AROS]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aros.sourceforge.net/documentation/users/shell/index.php|title=AROS Research Operating System|website=aros.sourceforge.net|access-date=2025-08-10|archive-date=2020-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102204945/http://aros.sourceforge.net/documentation/users/shell/index.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> and in the [[DIGITAL Command Language|DCL]] command-line interface used on [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] [[OpenVMS|VMS]], [[RT-11]] and [[RSX-11]]. It is also supplied with [[OS/8]] as a CUSP (Commonly-Used System Program).

The <code>dir</code> command is supported by [[Tim Paterson]]'s [[Seattle Computer Products|SCP]] [[86-DOS]].<ref>{{cite book |title=86-DOS - Disk Operating System for the 8086 - User's Manual |edition=Preliminary |version=Version 0.3 |date=1980 |publisher=[[Seattle Computer Products, Inc.]] |location=Seattle, Washington, USA |url=http://www.patersontech.com/Dos/docs/86_Dos_usr_03.pdf |access-date=2019-07-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714004434/http://www.patersontech.com/dos/docs/86_Dos_usr_03.pdf |archive-date=2019-07-14}} (59 pages)</ref> On [[MS-DOS]], the command is available in versions 1 and later.<ref name="RUNNINGMSDOS">{{Cite book|author-last=Wolverton|author-first=Van|title=Running MS-DOS Version 6.22 (20th Anniversary Edition), 6th Revised edition|date=2003|publisher=[[Microsoft Press]]|isbn=0-7356-1812-7}}</ref> It is also available in the [[open-source software|open source]] MS-DOS [[emulator]] [[DOSBox]]. [[MS-DOS]] prompts "[[Abort, Retry, Fail?]]" after being commanded to list a [[directory (file systems)|directory]] with no [[floppy disk|diskette]] in the drive.

The File Transfer Protocol ([[FTP]]) client program ftp is using <code>dir</code> command for listing remote directory.

The [[numerical analysis|numerical computing]] environments [[MATLAB]] and [[GNU Octave]] include a <code>dir</code> 
function with similar functionality.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/dir.html|title=List folder contents - MATLAB dir|website=www.mathworks.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://octave.sourceforge.io/octave/function/dir.html|title=Function Reference: dir|website=octave.sourceforge.io}}</ref>

==Examples==
[[File:Commodore C128 CPM Screenshot 2 full.jpg|200px|thumb|right|[[CP/M 3.0]] directory listing on a [[Commodore 128]] home computer.]]
[[File:Robotron1715SCREEN.gif|200px|thumb|right|Directory listing on [[Single User Control Program|SCP]] running on a [[VEB Robotron|robotron]] [[PC 1715]].]]
[[File:J Elwro 804 Junior.JPG|200px|thumb|right|Directory listing on [[CP/J 2.21]] running on an [[Elwro 804 Junior]].]]
[[File:Dir command in Windows Command Prompt.png|200px|thumb|right|[[Microsoft Windows]] [[cmd.exe|Command Prompt]] showing a directory listing.]]

===DOS, Windows, ReactOS===
List all files and directories in the current [[working directory]].
{{sxhl|2=doscon|C:\Users>dir}}

List any [[text file]]s and [[batch file]]s ([[filename extension]] ".txt" or ".bat").
{{sxhl|2=doscon|C:\Users>dir *.txt *.bat}}

[[Recursion (computer science)|Recursively]] list all files and directories in the specified directory and any subdirectories, in wide format, pausing after each screen of output. The directory name is enclosed in [[Quotation mark|double-quotes]], to prevent it from being interpreted is as two separate [[command-line option]]s because it contains a [[whitespace character]].
{{sxhl|2=doscon|C:\Users>dir /s /w /p "C:\Users\johndoe\My Documents"}}

List any [[NTFS junction point]]s:
{{pre|
{{codett|2=doscon|C:\Users>dir /ash}}
{{codett|2=output|Volume in drive C is OS.}}
{{codett|2=output|Volume Serial Number is xxxx-xxxx}}
{{codett|2=output|Directory of C:\Users}}
{{codett|2=output|12/07/2019  02:30 AM    <SYMLINKD>     All Users [C:\ProgramData]}}
{{codett|2=output|12/07/2019  02:30 AM    <JUNCTION>     Default User [C:\Users\Default]}}
{{codett|2=output|12/07/2019  02:12 AM               174 desktop.ini}}
              {{codett|2=output|1 File(s)            174 bytes}}
              {{codett|2=output|2 Dir(s)  332,659,789,824 bytes free}}

}}

===Unix===
Traditionally, [[Unix]] and [[Unix-like]] systems use the {{code|ls}} command for the needs that <code>dir</code> satisfies. But, the [[GNU#GNU as an operating system|GNU operating system]], has a <code>dir</code> command that "is equivalent to <code>ls&nbsp;-C&nbsp;-b</code>; that is, by default files are listed in columns, sorted vertically, and special characters are represented by backslash escape sequences".<ref>[//www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/html_node/dir-invocation.html dir invocation] (GNU coreutils) at www.gnu.org</ref> Actually, for compatibility reasons, {{code|ls}} produces device-dependent output. The <code>dir</code> command, on the other hand, produces device-independent output.

==See also==
* [[Directory (OpenVMS command)]]
* [[List of DOS commands]]
* [[tree (command)|tree]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book|author-last=Wolverton|author-first=Van|title=MS-DOS Commands: Microsoft Quick Reference, 4th Revised edition|url=https://archive.org/details/msdos00wolv|url-access=registration|date=1990|publisher=[[Microsoft Press]]|isbn=978-1556152894}}
*{{Cite book|author1=Kathy Ivens|author2=Brian Proffit|year=1993|title=OS/2 Inside & Out|publisher=[[Osborne McGraw-Hill]]|isbn=978-0078818714}}
*{{Cite book|first=Æleen|last=Frisch|year=2001|title=Windows 2000 Commands Pocket Reference|publisher=[[O'Reilly Media|O'Reilly]]|isbn=978-0-596-00148-3}}

==External links==
{{Wikibooks|Guide to Windows Commands}}
*[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/dir dir | Microsoft Docs]
*[https://github.com/microsoft/MS-DOS/blob/master/v2.0/source/DIR.ASM Open source DIR implementation that comes with MS-DOS v2.0]
*[https://www.windows-commandline.com/dir-command-line-options/ Dir command syntax and examples]

{{Windows commands}}

[[Category:CP/M commands]]
[[Category:Internal DOS commands]]
[[Category:Microcomputer software]]
[[Category:Microsoft free software]]
[[Category:MSX-DOS commands]]
[[Category:OS/2 commands]]
[[Category:ReactOS commands]]
[[Category:Windows commands]]
[[Category:Windows administration]]