Quick Tip

Taming Terminal Output: The `column` Command for Clean Layouts

Challenge: When viewing tabular data or lists in the terminal, the output can often be misaligned and difficult to read, especially when column widths vary significantly.

The Solution: Utilize the `column` command to format your output into neat, aligned columns.

ls -l | column -t

Why it works: The `column -t` option creates a table by determining the number of columns, identifying common whitespace, and then aligning the data accordingly. This makes even messy command outputs much more readable.

Pro-Tip: You can also use `column -s ‘delimiter’` to specify a custom delimiter if your data isn’t space-separated. For example, `cat my_csv_file.csv | column -s ‘,’ -t`.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 5/4/2026