ok. this is a bit of a difficult question but i've been trying to figure this out for quite some time but couldn't.


how do I print columns on the screen?

like take for instant. using the ls and the file command, how do i print it so i can have the filenames on the left hand side and the type of contents that is in the file on the right hand side. something like this:


ls -l

file filename




foo.bar1 === data
foo.bar2 === data
foo.bar3 === executable script
foo.bar4 === command text


how can i print columns like that and have em actually be aligned properly?

i'm guessing the commands sed, awk, and tput would likely be used here but i cant figure out how to use them properly.