Feature request: follow symlinks like ls -L, --dereference, or be even friendlier

[tv42]

Hi. I have some large files managed externally, and symlinks to them in git. I often want to see the sizes of the large files, not the sizes of the symlinks.

In fact, I consider displaying the size of the symlink an exercise in silliness; I'd much rather see the size of the target.

Exa doesn't seem to have anything like ls -L to give me that information.

1. Could something like ls -L be added?
2. Maybe even just always fetch the target size when a symlink size is asked for.

[erkin]

Yes! --dereference-command-line-symlink-to-dir is the only feature of ls I'm missing. When I ls a symlink to a dir, I simply want to see inside of what it's pointing at, not the filename.

[pronobis]

Would be great to have that feature. I like sorting directories first, and links to directories do not get placed on top without this option.

[ghost]

Also would be great if there was symlink indicator even with this option toggled.

[lilyball]

I would really like to see this. exa seems to behave like ls -H already in most cases (except when using -T, filed as #549), but an equivalent to -L would be useful, in particular with -T (though with -T it would need some kind of loop detection).

[sklages]

It's been around for years now?? Wow .. okay, just another guy interested in -L (and maybe-H).

This is a quite fundamental parameter of ls .. I am a bit puzzled that this has not been implemented from the very beginning ...

[adam-zethraeus]

+1

[Legisign]

Yes! --dereference-command-line-symlink-to-dir is the only feature of ls I'm missing. When I ls a symlink to a dir, I simply want to see inside of what it's pointing at, not the filename.

I wholeheartedly agree! If a symlink is to a dir, it’s for a reason.

[alanhoyle]

I've been using unix for decades and only just became aware of the ls --dereference, and I'm surprised that exa doesn't implement it. Please implement this feature!