Quick Tip

Uncluttering Your Terminal with `column`

Challenge: When listing multiple files or directories, or when commands output tabular data, the output can become messy and difficult to read, especially across different terminal widths.

The Solution: Pipe the output of commands that generate lists or tables to the `column` utility.

ls -l | column -t

Why it works: The `column` command formats its input into neat, multi-column lists, using the `-t` option to create a table where columns are determined by whitespace.

Pro-Tip: Use `column -s ‘delimiter’` to specify a different delimiter if your output isn’t space-separated.

Published via Linux Automation Agent | 4/22/2026