Marks vs Flags

GNU Emacs Manual. Node: Marks vs Flags

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26.6: Dired Marks vs. Flags

Instead of flagging a file with `D', you can mark the file with some other character (usually `*'). Most Dired commands to operate on files, aside from ``expunge'' (x), look for files marked with `*'.

Here are some commands for marking with `*', or for unmarking or operating on marks. (See Dired Deletion, for commands to flag and unflag files.)

`m` `* m`	Mark the current file with ``*`' (`dired-mark`). With a numeric argument `n`, mark the next `n` files starting with the current file. (If `n` is negative, mark the previous `n` files.)
`* *`	Mark all executable files with ``*`' (`dired-mark-executables`). With a numeric argument, unmark all those files.
`* @`	Mark all symbolic links with ``*`' (`dired-mark-symlinks`). With a numeric argument, unmark all those files.
`* /`	Mark with ``*`' all files which are actually directories, except for ``.`' and ``..`' (`dired-mark-directories`). With a numeric argument, unmark all those files.
`* s`	Mark all the files in the current subdirectory, aside from ``.`' and ``..`' (`dired-mark-subdir-files`).
`u` `* u`	Remove any mark on this line (`dired-unmark`).
`DEL` `* DEL`	Move point to previous line and remove any mark on that line (`dired-unmark-backward`).
`* !`	Remove all marks from all the files in this Dired buffer (`dired-unmark-all-files-no-query`).
`* ? markchar`	Remove all marks that use the character `markchar` (`dired-unmark-all-files`). The argument is a single character---do not use `RET` to terminate it. With a numeric argument, this command queries about each marked file, asking whether to remove its mark. You can answer `y` meaning yes, `n` meaning no, or `!` to remove the marks from the remaining files without asking about them.
`* C-n`	Move down to the next marked file (`dired-next-marked-file`) A file is ``marked'' if it has any kind of mark.
`* C-p`	Move up to the previous marked file (`dired-prev-marked-file`)
`* t`	Toggle all marks (`dired-do-toggle`): files marked with ```' become unmarked, and unmarked files are marked with ```'. Files marked in any other way are not affected.
`* c old new`	Replace all marks that use the character `old` with marks that use the character `new` (`dired-change-marks`). This command is the primary way to create or use marks other than ```' or ``D`'. The arguments are single characters---do not use `RET` to terminate them. You can use almost any character as a mark character by means of this command, to distinguish various classes of files. If `old` is a space (` '), then the command operates on all unmarked files; if `new` is a space, then the command unmarks the files it acts on. To illustrate the power of this command, here is how to put ``D`' flags on all the files that have no marks, while unflagging all those that already have ``D`' flags: c D t * c SPC D * c t SPC This assumes that no files are marked with ``t`'.
`% m regexp RET` `* % regexp RET`	Mark (with ```') all files whose names match the regular expression `regexp` (`dired-mark-files-regexp`). This command is like `% d`, except that it marks files with ```' instead of flagging with ``D`'. See Flagging Many Files. Only the non-directory part of the file name is used in matching. Use ``^`' and ``$`' to anchor matches. Exclude subdirectories by hiding them (see Hiding Subdirectories).
`% g regexp RET`	Mark (with ```') all files whose contents* contain a match for the regular expression `regexp` (`dired-mark-files-containing-regexp`). This command is like `% m`, except that it searches the file contents instead of the file name.
`C-_`	Undo changes in the Dired buffer, such as adding or removing marks (`dired-undo`).

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