Re: [Help-bash] procps output truncated due to bash setting $COLUMNS

[Greg Wooledge]

On Tue, Jan 01, 2013 at 01:20:00PM +0200, Pierre Gaston wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 1, 2013 at 8:26 AM,  <address@hidden> wrote:
> > Description:
> >         procps-3.3.3 and later versions truncate their output at $COLUMN
> >         columns, for example when executing `ps | less -S`.

> Bash sets COLUMNS when interactive, but it does not export it so it
> should not interfere with other tools unless it is exported in one of
> your startup files.

ps limits its output to the screen width by default because it's trying
to be *helpful*.  In any case, the behavior of ps is not something that
one would change by "fixing" Bash.  If you have an issue with your OS
vendor's ps command, then file a bug report with the OS.

"procps" implies you're running Linux, so if you want ps to ignore your
terminal width, you can use the 'w' or '-w' option as documented in the
Linux ps(1) man page:

       w               Wide output. Use this option twice for unlimited width.

       -w              Wide output. Use this option twice for unlimited width.

The 'w' option comes from the BSD ps syntax, and has been around for
decades.  '-w' was probably added just in case someone screws up and
puts a '-' in front of it, or in case someone tries to combine the BSD
'w' option with the SysV/POSIX dash-prefixed options.