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(emacs)Dired Updating

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Updating the Dired Buffer
=========================

   This section describes commands to update the Dired buffer to reflect
outside (non-Dired) changes in the directories and files, and to delete
part of the Dired buffer.

`g'
     Update the entire contents of the Dired buffer (`revert-buffer').

`l'
     Update the specified files (`dired-do-redisplay').

`k'
     Delete the specified _file lines_--not the files, just the lines
     (`dired-do-kill-lines').

`s'
     Toggle between alphabetical order and date/time order
     (`dired-sort-toggle-or-edit').

`C-u s SWITCHES <RET>'
     Refresh the Dired buffer using SWITCHES as
     `dired-listing-switches'.

   Type `g' (`revert-buffer') to update the contents of the Dired
buffer, based on changes in the files and directories listed.  This
preserves all marks except for those on files that have vanished.
Hidden subdirectories are updated but remain hidden.

   To update only some of the files, type `l' (`dired-do-redisplay').
Like the Dired file-operating commands, this command operates on the
next N files (or previous -N files), or on the marked files if any, or
on the current file.  Updating the files means reading their current
status, then updating their lines in the buffer to indicate that status.

   If you use `l' on a subdirectory header line, it updates the
contents of the corresponding subdirectory.

   To delete the specified _file lines_ from the buffer--not delete the
files--type `k' (`dired-do-kill-lines').  Like the file-operating
commands, this command operates on the next N files, or on the marked
files if any; but it does not operate on the current file as a last
resort.

   If you kill the line for a file that is a directory, the directory's
contents are also deleted from the buffer.  Typing `C-u k' on the
header line for a subdirectory is another way to delete a subdirectory
from the Dired buffer.

   The `g' command brings back any individual lines that you have
killed in this way, but not subdirectories--you must use `i' to
reinsert a subdirectory.

   The files in a Dired buffers are normally listed in alphabetical
order by file names.  Alternatively Dired can sort them by date/time.
The Dired command `s' (`dired-sort-toggle-or-edit') switches between
these two sorting modes.  The mode line in a Dired buffer indicates
which way it is currently sorted--by name, or by date.

   `C-u s SWITCHES <RET>' lets you specify a new value for
`dired-listing-switches'.