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If im not mistaking, using ls -b should output escape characters with some sort of representation, but it seems like this option isn't available. Is there an alternative, or is it impossible to have a filename with escape characters on android?

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  • May i ask what you're trying to do with the filenames? It may be possible to accomplish what you're after without using ls. – ctt Jun 17 '14 at 23:29
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Android has a very limited implementation of Linux shell functions. BusyBox utility expands on the selection somewhat, although it's still not a full Linux set. It can be installed on most rooted Android devices.

Specifically for ls, only the following options are available via BusyBox:

busybox: invalid option -- b
BusyBox v1.22.1 bionic (2014-05-29 17:30 +0200) multi-call binary.

Usage: ls [-1AaCxdLHRFplinsehrSXvctukKZ] [-w WIDTH] [FILE]...

List directory contents

        -1      One column output
        -a      Include entries which start with .
        -A      Like -a, but exclude . and ..
        -C      List by columns
        -x      List by lines
        -d      List directory entries instead of contents
        -L      Follow symlinks
        -H      Follow symlinks on command line
        -R      Recurse
        -p      Append / to dir entries
        -F      Append indicator (one of */=@|) to entries
        -l      Long listing format
        -i      List inode numbers
        -n      List numeric UIDs and GIDs instead of names
        -s      List allocated blocks
        -e      List full date and time
        -h      List sizes in human readable format (1K 243M 2G)
        -r      Sort in reverse order
        -S      Sort by size
        -X      Sort by extension
        -v      Sort by version
        -c      With -l: sort by ctime
        -t      With -l: sort by mtime
        -u      With -l: sort by atime
        -k      List security context
        -K      List security context in long format
        -Z      List security context and permission
        -w N    Assume the terminal is N columns wide
        --color[={always,never,auto}]   Control coloring

The characters allowed in file names on Android are no different from those allowed in other Linux-based systems. As always, it depends on the filesystem.

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    It's worth being extra-clear that this list isn't the list of options that work in the stock ls, which is even more limited. – Dan Hulme Jun 13 '14 at 16:29
  • thanks, so it seems that if my filename has some escape character or something of that sort, there is no way to pull it with ls without possibly losing information, or is there a way using adb to handle these cases? – Moshe Magnes Jun 13 '14 at 18:08
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You can use wild card characters for these cases. Use * for multiple characters and ? for single characters. ls lib* will find files that begin with lib.

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  • That's good advice, but typing the escapes isn't the problem: it's what happens when ls tries to print them to the terminal. – Dan Hulme Jun 15 '14 at 9:33

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