[svn-r18943] Purpose:

    Support follow symbolic links.

Description:
    Add '--follow-symlinks' option to follow symbolic links (soft and external).
    Update help page according to RM.
    Remove some warning messages from compiler.

Tested:
    jam, amani and linew

26 files changed, 842 insertions, 218 deletions

diff --git a/MANIFEST b/MANIFEST
index ec31e83..d110b65 100644
--- a/MANIFEST
+++ b/MANIFEST
@@ -1211,7 +1211,18 @@
 ./tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-5.ls
 ./tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-6.ls
 ./tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-7.ls
+./tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-1-old.ls
+./tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-2-old.ls
+./tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-3-old.ls
+./tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-6-old.ls
+./tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-7-old.ls
 ./tools/testfiles/textlinktar.h5
+./tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks.h5
+./tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-1.ls
+./tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-2.ls
+./tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-3.ls
+./tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-4.ls
+./tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-5.ls
 ./tools/testfiles/tfamily.ddl
 ./tools/testfiles/tfamily00000.h5
 ./tools/testfiles/tfamily00001.h5
diff --git a/release_docs/RELEASE.txt b/release_docs/RELEASE.txt
index b1671d3..141c113 100644
--- a/release_docs/RELEASE.txt
+++ b/release_docs/RELEASE.txt
@@ -159,6 +159,8 @@ New Features
 
     Tools:
     ------
+     - h5ls: Add new flag --follow-symlinks. (refer to --help for details)
+               (JKM - 2010/05/25)
      - h5diff: Add new flag --no-dangling-links. (refer to --help for details)
                (JKM - 2010/02/10) 
      - h5diff: Add new flag --follow-symlinks. (refer to --help for details)
diff --git a/tools/h5dump/h5dumpgentest.c b/tools/h5dump/h5dumpgentest.c
index 6b75aa3..531cdcd 100644
--- a/tools/h5dump/h5dumpgentest.c
+++ b/tools/h5dump/h5dumpgentest.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 #define FILE2 "tdset.h5"
 #define FILE3 "tattr.h5"
 #define FILE4 "tslink.h5"
+#define FILE4_1 "tsoftlinks.h5"
 #define FILE5 "thlink.h5"
 #define FILE6 "tcompound.h5"
 #define FILE7 "tall.h5"
@@ -94,7 +95,7 @@
 #define FILE61  "textlinksrc.h5"
 #define FILE62  "textlinktar.h5"
 #define FILE63  "textlinkfar.h5"
-#define FILE64  "tarray8.h5"
+/*#define FILE64  "tarray8.h5"*/
 #define FILE65  "tattrreg.h5"
 #define FILE66  "file_space.h5"
 
@@ -213,7 +214,8 @@ typedef struct s1_t {
 #define ARRAY3_DIM2 3
 
 /* VL string datatype name */
-#define VLSTR_TYPE      "vl_string_type"
+/* TODO remove complier error not used, remove the link when everything is OK */
+/* #define VLSTR_TYPE      "vl_string_type" */
 
 /* "File 41" macros */
 /* Name of dataset to create in datafile                              */
@@ -466,6 +468,246 @@ static void gent_softlink(void)
     H5Fclose(fid);
 }
 
+/*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ * Function: gent_softlink2
+ *
+ * Purpose: Create soft links to various objects.
+ * Return: 
+ *    SUCCEED
+ *    FAIL
+ * Programmer: Jonathan Kim
+ * Date: May 26, 2010
+ *-------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+#define NX 4
+#define NY 2
+static int gent_softlink2(void)
+{
+    hid_t       fileid1;
+    hid_t       grp1=0, grp2=0;
+    hid_t       tid;
+    hid_t       dset1, dset2;
+    hid_t       datatype, dataspace;   
+    hsize_t     dimsf[2];              /* dataset dimensions */
+    herr_t      status=SUCCEED;
+    int data1[NX][NY] = {{0,0},{1,1},{2,2},{3,3}};
+    int data2[NX][NY] = {{0,0},{0,1},{0,2},{3,3}};
+
+   /*-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    * FILE
+    *------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+    /* Create a new file */
+    fileid1 = H5Fcreate(FILE4_1, H5F_ACC_TRUNC, H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (fileid1 < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Fcreate failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+   /*-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    * Groups
+    *------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+    grp1 = H5Gcreate2(fileid1, "group1", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (grp1 < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Gcreate2 failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    grp2 = H5Gcreate2(fileid1, "group_empty", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (grp2 < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Gcreate2 failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+   /*-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    * Named datatype
+    *------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+     tid = H5Tcopy(H5T_NATIVE_INT);
+     status = H5Tcommit2(fileid1, "dtype", tid, H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Tcommit2 failed.\n", FILE4_1); 
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+   /*-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    * Datasets
+    *------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+    /*
+     * Describe the size of the array and create the data space for fixed
+     * size dataset.
+     */
+    dimsf[0] = NX;
+    dimsf[1] = NY;
+    dataspace = H5Screate_simple(2, dimsf, NULL);
+
+    /*
+     * Define datatype for the data in the file.
+     * We will store little endian INT numbers.
+     */
+    datatype = H5Tcopy(H5T_NATIVE_INT);
+
+    /*---------------
+     * dset1
+     */
+    /* Create a new dataset as sample object */
+    dset1 = H5Dcreate2(fileid1, "/dset1", datatype, dataspace,
+			H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (dset1 < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Dcreate2 failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    status = H5Dwrite(dset1, H5T_NATIVE_INT, H5S_ALL, H5S_ALL, H5P_DEFAULT, data1);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Dwrite failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    /*---------------
+     * dset2
+     */
+    /* Create a new dataset as sample object */
+    dset2 = H5Dcreate2(fileid1, "/dset2", datatype, dataspace,
+			H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (dset2 < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Dcreate2 failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    status = H5Dwrite(dset2, H5T_NATIVE_INT, H5S_ALL, H5S_ALL, H5P_DEFAULT, data2);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Dwrite failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+   /*-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    * Soft links
+    *------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+    /*
+     * create various soft links under  '/' root
+     */
+    /* link to dset1 */
+    status = H5Lcreate_soft("/dset1", fileid1, "soft_dset1", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Lcreate_soft failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    /* link to data type */
+    status = H5Lcreate_soft("/dtype", fileid1, "soft_dtype", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Lcreate_soft failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    /* link to group1 */
+    status = H5Lcreate_soft("/group1", fileid1, "soft_group1", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Lcreate_soft failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    /* link to empty group */
+    status = H5Lcreate_soft("/group_empty", fileid1, "soft_empty_grp", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Lcreate_soft failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    /* dangling link */
+    status = H5Lcreate_soft("not_yet", fileid1, "soft_dangle", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Lcreate_soft failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    /*-----------------------------------------
+     * create various soft links under a group
+     */
+    /* link to dset1 */
+    status = H5Lcreate_soft("/dset1", grp1, "soft_dset1", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Lcreate_soft failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    /* link to dset2 */
+    status = H5Lcreate_soft("/dset2", grp1, "soft_dset2", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Lcreate_soft failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    /* link to data type */
+    status = H5Lcreate_soft("/dtype", grp1, "soft_dtype", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Lcreate_soft failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    /* link to empty group */
+    status = H5Lcreate_soft("/group_empty", grp1, "soft_empty_grp", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Lcreate_soft failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    /* dangling link  */
+    status = H5Lcreate_soft("not_yet", grp1, "soft_dangle", H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
+    if (status < 0)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s> H5Lcreate_soft failed.\n", FILE4_1);
+        status = FAIL;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+out:
+    /*
+     * Close/release resources.
+     */
+    H5Sclose(dataspace);
+    H5Gclose(grp1);
+    H5Gclose(grp2);
+    H5Tclose(datatype);
+    H5Dclose(dset1);
+    H5Dclose(dset2);
+    H5Fclose(fileid1);
+
+    return status;
+}
+
 /*
             /
 
@@ -1661,7 +1903,7 @@ static void gent_objref(void)
     hid_t  sid1;       /* Dataspace ID   */
     hid_t  tid1;       /* Datatype ID   */
     hsize_t  dims1[] = {SPACE1_DIM1};
-    hobj_ref_t      *wbuf,      /* buffer to write to disk */
+    hobj_ref_t *wbuf,      /* buffer to write to disk */
                *rbuf,       /* buffer read from disk */
                *tbuf;       /* temp. buffer read from disk */
     uint32_t   *tu32;      /* Temporary pointer to uint32 data */
@@ -1669,9 +1911,9 @@ static void gent_objref(void)
     const char *write_comment = "Foo!"; /* Comments for group */
 
     /* Allocate write & read buffers */
-    wbuf = malloc(sizeof(hobj_ref_t) * SPACE1_DIM1);
-    rbuf = malloc(sizeof(hobj_ref_t) * SPACE1_DIM1);
-    tbuf = malloc(sizeof(hobj_ref_t) * SPACE1_DIM1);
+    wbuf = (hobj_ref_t*) malloc(sizeof(hobj_ref_t) * SPACE1_DIM1);
+    rbuf = (hobj_ref_t*) malloc(sizeof(hobj_ref_t) * SPACE1_DIM1);
+    tbuf = (hobj_ref_t*) malloc(sizeof(hobj_ref_t) * SPACE1_DIM1);
 
     /* Create file */
     fid1 = H5Fcreate(FILE16, H5F_ACC_TRUNC, H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
@@ -1779,10 +2021,10 @@ static void gent_datareg(void)
     int        i;          /* counting variables */
 
     /* Allocate write & read buffers */
-    wbuf=calloc(sizeof(hdset_reg_ref_t), SPACE1_DIM1);
-    rbuf=malloc(sizeof(hdset_reg_ref_t)*SPACE1_DIM1);
-    dwbuf=malloc(sizeof(uint8_t)*SPACE2_DIM1*SPACE2_DIM2);
-    drbuf=calloc(sizeof(uint8_t),SPACE2_DIM1*SPACE2_DIM2);
+    wbuf = (hdset_reg_ref_t*) calloc(sizeof(hdset_reg_ref_t), SPACE1_DIM1);
+    rbuf = (hdset_reg_ref_t*) malloc(sizeof(hdset_reg_ref_t)*SPACE1_DIM1);
+    dwbuf = (uint8_t*) malloc(sizeof(uint8_t)*SPACE2_DIM1*SPACE2_DIM2);
+    drbuf = (uint8_t*) calloc(sizeof(uint8_t),SPACE2_DIM1*SPACE2_DIM2);
 
     /* Create file */
     fid1 = H5Fcreate(FILE17, H5F_ACC_TRUNC, H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
@@ -1888,10 +2130,10 @@ static void gent_attrreg(void)
     int        i;           /* counting variables */
 
     /* Allocate write & read buffers */
-    wbuf=calloc(sizeof(hdset_reg_ref_t), SPACE1_DIM1);
-    rbuf=malloc(sizeof(hdset_reg_ref_t)*SPACE1_DIM1);
-    dwbuf=malloc(sizeof(uint8_t)*SPACE2_DIM1*SPACE2_DIM2);
-    drbuf=calloc(sizeof(uint8_t),SPACE2_DIM1*SPACE2_DIM2);
+    wbuf = (hdset_reg_ref_t*) calloc(sizeof(hdset_reg_ref_t), SPACE1_DIM1);
+    rbuf = (hdset_reg_ref_t*) malloc(sizeof(hdset_reg_ref_t)*SPACE1_DIM1);
+    dwbuf = (uint8_t*) malloc(sizeof(uint8_t)*SPACE2_DIM1*SPACE2_DIM2);
+    drbuf = (uint8_t*) calloc(sizeof(uint8_t),SPACE2_DIM1*SPACE2_DIM2);
 
     /* Create file */
     fid1 = H5Fcreate(FILE65, H5F_ACC_TRUNC, H5P_DEFAULT, H5P_DEFAULT);
@@ -2961,7 +3203,7 @@ static void gent_array8(void)
     hsize_t sdims[] = {F64_DIM0};
     hsize_t tdims[] = {F64_DIM1};
     int         wdata[(F64_DIM1) * sizeof(int)];      /* Write buffer */
-    int     i;
+    unsigned int     i;
 
     /*
      * Initialize data.  i is the element in the dataspace, j and k the
@@ -5655,7 +5897,7 @@ static void gent_longlinks(void)
     assert(gid >= 0);
 
     /* Construct very long file name */
-    objname = HDmalloc((size_t)(F51_MAX_NAME_LEN + 1));
+    objname = (char*) HDmalloc((size_t)(F51_MAX_NAME_LEN + 1));
     assert(objname);
     for(u = 0; u < F51_MAX_NAME_LEN; u++)
         objname[u] = 'a';
@@ -5919,7 +6161,7 @@ gent_hyperslab(void)
     double   *buf;
     int      i, ret;
 
-    buf = malloc(32 * 4097 * sizeof(double) );
+    buf = (double*) malloc(32 * 4097 * sizeof(double) );
     for(i = 0; i < 32 * 4097; i++)
         buf[i] = 1;
 
@@ -6526,6 +6768,7 @@ int main(void)
     gent_group();
     gent_attribute();
     gent_softlink();
+    gent_softlink2();
     gent_dataset();
     gent_hardlink();
     gent_extlink();
diff --git a/tools/h5ls/CMakeLists.txt b/tools/h5ls/CMakeLists.txt
index 840f80e..fe9f927 100644
--- a/tools/h5ls/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tools/h5ls/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -43,6 +43,16 @@ IF (BUILD_TESTING)
       textlinksrc-5.ls
       textlinksrc-6.ls
       textlinksrc-7.ls
+      textlinksrc-1-old.ls
+      textlinksrc-2-old.ls
+      textlinksrc-3-old.ls
+      textlinksrc-6-old.ls
+      textlinksrc-7-old.ls
+      tsoftlinks-1.ls
+      tsoftlinks-2.ls
+      tsoftlinks-3.ls
+      tsoftlinks-4.ls
+      tsoftlinks-5.ls
       tgroup.ls
       tgroup-1.ls
       tgroup-2.ls
@@ -75,6 +85,7 @@ IF (BUILD_TESTING)
       tnestedcomp.h5
       tsaf.h5
       tslink.h5
+      tsoftlinks.h5
       tstr.h5
       tudlink.h5
       tvldtypes1.h5
@@ -116,39 +127,93 @@ IF (BUILD_TESTING)
     )
   ENDMACRO (ADD_H5_TEST file)
 
+  # test the help syntax
   ADD_H5_TEST (help-1 0 -w80 -h)
   ADD_H5_TEST (help-2 0 -w80 --help)
   ADD_H5_TEST (help-3 0 -w80 -?)
+
+  # test simple command
   ADD_H5_TEST (tall-1 0 -w80 tall.h5)
   ADD_H5_TEST (tall-2 0 -w80 -r -d tall.h5)
   ADD_H5_TEST (tgroup 0 -w80 tgroup.h5)
   ADD_H5_TEST (tgroup-3 0 -w80 tgroup.h5/g1)
+
+  # test for displaying groups
+  # The following combination of arguments is expected to return an error message
+  # and return value 1
   ADD_H5_TEST (tgroup-1 1 -w80 -r -g tgroup.h5)
   ADD_H5_TEST (tgroup-2 0 -w80 -g tgroup.h5/g1)
+
+  # test for displaying simple space datasets
   ADD_H5_TEST (tdset-1 0 -w80 -r -d tdset.h5)
+
+  # test for displaying soft links (dangle)
   ADD_H5_TEST (tslink-1 0 -w80 -r tslink.h5)
+
+  # test for displaying more soft links with --follow-symlinks
+  ADD_H5_TEST (tsoftlinks-1 0 --follow-symlinks tsoftlinks.h5)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (tsoftlinks-2 0 --follow-symlinks -r tsoftlinks.h5)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (tsoftlinks-3 0 --follow-symlinks tsoftlinks.h5/group1)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (tsoftlinks-4 0 --follow-symlinks -r tsoftlinks.h5/group1)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (tsoftlinks-5 0 --follow-symlinks tsoftlinks.h5/soft_dset1)
+
+  # test for displaying external and user-defined links with --follow-symlinks
   ADD_H5_TEST (textlink-1 0 -w80 -r textlink.h5)
-  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-1 0 -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5)
-  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-2 0 -w80 -Erv textlinksrc.h5/ext_link5)
-  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-3 0 -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-1 0 -w80 --follow-symlinks -r textlinksrc.h5)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-2 0 -w80 --follow-symlinks -rv textlinksrc.h5/ext_link5)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-3 0 -w80 --follow-symlinks -r textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1)
   ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-4 0 -w80 -r textlinksrc.h5)
   ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-5 0 -w80 -r textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1)
-  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-6 0 -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5)
-  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-7 0 -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-6 0 -w80 --follow-symlinks textlinksrc.h5)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-7 0 -w80 --follow-symlinks textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1)
   ADD_H5_TEST (tudlink-1 0 -w80 -r tudlink.h5)
+
+  # test for displaying external links with -E
+  # the option -E will be depriciated but keep it for backward compatibility
+  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-1-old 0 -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-2-old 0 -w80 -Erv textlinksrc.h5/ext_link5)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-3-old 0 -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-6-old 0 -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5)
+  ADD_H5_TEST (textlinksrc-7-old 0 -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1)
+
+  # tests for hard links
   ADD_H5_TEST (thlink-1 0 -w80 thlink.h5)
+
+  # tests for compound data types
   ADD_H5_TEST (tcomp-1 0 -w80 -r -d tcompound.h5)
+
+  #test for the nested compound type
   ADD_H5_TEST (tnestcomp-1 0 -w80 -r -d tnestedcomp.h5)
+
+  # test for loop detection
   ADD_H5_TEST (tloop-1 0 -w80 -r -d tloop.h5)
+
+  # test for string
   ADD_H5_TEST (tstr-1 0 -w80 -r -d tstr.h5)
+
+  # test test file created from lib SAF team
   ADD_H5_TEST (tsaf 0 -w80 -r -d tsaf.h5)
+
+  # test for variable length data types
   ADD_H5_TEST (tvldtypes1 0 -w80 -r -d tvldtypes1.h5)
+
+  # test for array data types
   ADD_H5_TEST (tarray1 0 -w80 -r -d tarray1.h5)
+
+  # test for empty data
   ADD_H5_TEST (tempty 0 -w80 -d tempty.h5)
+
+  # test for all dataset types written to attributes
+  # enable -S for avoiding printing NATIVE types
   ADD_H5_TEST (tattr2 0 -w80 -v -S tattr2.h5)
+
+  # test for non-existing file
   ADD_H5_TEST (nosuchfile 1 nosuchfile.h5)
+
   IF (WORDS_BIGENDIAN)
+    # test for variable length data types in verbose mode
     ADD_H5_TEST (tvldtypes2be 0 -v tvldtypes1.h5)
+    # test for dataset region references data types in verbose mode
     ADD_H5_TEST (tdataregbe 0 -v tdatareg.h5)
   ELSE (WORDS_BIGENDIAN)
     ADD_H5_TEST (tvldtypes2le 0 -v tvldtypes1.h5)
diff --git a/tools/h5ls/h5ls.c b/tools/h5ls/h5ls.c
index c856642..835af10 100644
--- a/tools/h5ls/h5ls.c
+++ b/tools/h5ls/h5ls.c
@@ -34,23 +34,24 @@
 
 #define NAME_BUF_SIZE   2048
 
-/* Struct to keep track of external link targets visited */
-typedef struct elink_trav_t {
+/* Struct to keep track of symbolic link targets visited */
+typedef struct symlink_trav_t {
     size_t      nalloc;
     size_t      nused;
     struct {
+        H5L_type_t  type;
         char *file;
         char *path;
     } *objs;
-} elink_trav_t;
+} symlink_trav_t;
 
 /* Struct to pass through to visitors */
 typedef struct {
     const char *fname;                  /* Filename */
     hid_t fid;                          /* File ID */
     hid_t gid;                          /* Group ID */
-    hbool_t ext_target;                 /* Whether this is the target of an external link */
-    elink_trav_t *elink_list;           /* List of visited external links */
+    hbool_t symlink_target;                 /* Whether this is the target of an symbolic link */
+    symlink_trav_t *symlink_list;       /* List of visited symbolic links */
     int base_len;                       /* Length of base path name, if not root */
     int name_start;                     /* # of leading characters to strip off path names on output */
 }iter_t;
@@ -64,6 +65,7 @@ static hbool_t  label_g = FALSE;          /* label compound values? */
 static hbool_t  string_g = FALSE;         /* print 1-byte numbers as ASCII? */
 static hbool_t  fullname_g = FALSE;       /* print full path names */
 static hbool_t  recursive_g = FALSE;      /* recursive descent listing */
+static hbool_t  follow_symlink_g = FALSE; /* follow symbolic links */
 static hbool_t  follow_elink_g = FALSE;   /* follow external links */
 static hbool_t  grp_literal_g = FALSE;    /* list group, not contents */
 static hbool_t  hexdump_g = FALSE;        /* show data as raw hexadecimal */
@@ -111,30 +113,46 @@ usage (void)
 {
     fprintf(stderr, "\
 usage: %s [OPTIONS] [OBJECTS...]\n\
-   OPTIONS\n\
-      -h, -?, --help   Print a usage message and exit\n\
-      -a, --address    Print addresses for raw data\n\
-      -d, --data       Print the values of datasets\n\
-      -e, --errors     Show all HDF5 error reporting\n\
-      -E, --external   Allow traversal into external files\n\
-      -f, --full       Print full path names instead of base names\n\
-      -g, --group      Show information about a group, not its contents\n\
-      -l, --label      Label members of compound datasets\n\
-      -r, --recursive  List all groups recursively, avoiding cycles\n\
-      -s, --string     Print 1-byte integer datasets as ASCII\n\
-      -S, --simple     Use a machine-readable output format\n\
-      -wN, --width=N   Set the number of columns of output\n\
-      -v, --verbose    Generate more verbose output\n\
-      -V, --version    Print version number and exit\n\
-      --vfd=DRIVER     Use the specified virtual file driver\n\
-      -x, --hexdump    Show raw data in hexadecimal format\n\
+  OPTIONS\n\
+   -h, -?, --help     Print a usage message and exit\n\
+   -a, --address      Print addresses for raw data\n\
+   -d, --data         Print the values of datasets\n\
+   -e, --errors       Show all HDF5 error reporting\n\
+   --follow-symlinks  Follow symbolic links (soft links and external links)\n\
+                      to display target object information.\n\
+                      Without this option, h5ls identifies a symbolic link\n\
+                      as a soft link or external link and prints the value\n\
+                      assigned to the symbolic link; it does not provide any\n\
+                      information regarding the target object or determine\n\
+                      whether the link is a dangling link.\n\
+   -f, --full         Print full path names instead of base names\n\
+   -g, --group        Show information about a group, not its contents\n\
+   -l, --label        Label members of compound datasets\n\
+   -r, --recursive    List all groups recursively, avoiding cycles\n\
+   -s, --string       Print 1-byte integer datasets as ASCII\n\
+   -S, --simple       Use a machine-readable output format\n\
+   -wN, --width=N     Set the number of columns of output\n\
+   -v, --verbose      Generate more verbose output\n\
+   -V, --version      Print version number and exit\n\
+   --vfd=DRIVER       Use the specified virtual file driver\n\
+   -x, --hexdump      Show raw data in hexadecimal format\n\
 \n\
-   OBJECTS\n\
-      Each object consists of an HDF5 file name optionally followed by a\n\
-      slash and an object name within the file (if no object is specified\n\
-      within the file then the contents of the root group are displayed).\n\
-      The file name may include a printf(3C) integer format such as\n\
-      \"%%05d\" to open a file family.\n",
+  OBJECTS\n\
+    Each object consists of an HDF5 file name optionally followed by a\n\
+    slash and an object name within the file (if no object is specified\n\
+    within the file then the contents of the root group are displayed).\n\
+    The file name may include a printf(3C) integer format such as\n\
+    \"%%05d\" to open a file family.\n\
+\n\
+  Deprecated Options\n\
+    The following options have been deprecated in HDF5. While they remain\n\
+    available, they have been superseded as indicated and may be removed\n\
+    from HDF5 in the future. Use the indicated replacement option in all\n\
+    new work; where possible, existing scripts, et cetera, should also be\n\
+    updated to use the replacement option.\n\
+\n\
+   -E or --external   Follow external links.\n\
+                      Replaced by --follow-symlinks.\n",
      h5tools_getprogname());
 }
 
@@ -469,6 +487,9 @@ display_precision(hid_t type, int ind)
                 case H5T_NPAD:
                     plsb_s = "unknown";
                     break;
+                default:
+                    ;
+                    break;
             }
         }
         if (H5Tget_offset(type)+prec<8*H5Tget_size(type)) {
@@ -486,6 +507,9 @@ display_precision(hid_t type, int ind)
                 case H5T_NPAD:
                     pmsb_s = "unknown";
                     break;
+                default:
+                    ;
+                    break;
             }
         }
         if (plsb_s || pmsb_s) {
@@ -646,6 +670,9 @@ display_float_type(hid_t type, int ind)
         case H5T_NORM_ERROR:
             norm_s = ", unknown normalization";
             break;
+        default:
+            ;
+        break;
     }
     printf("\n%*s(significant for %lu bit%s at bit %lu%s)", ind, "",
             (unsigned long)msize, 1==msize?"":"s", (unsigned long)mpos,
@@ -672,6 +699,9 @@ display_float_type(hid_t type, int ind)
             case H5T_NPAD:
                 pad_s = "unknown";
                 break;
+            default:
+                ;
+            break;
         }
         printf("\n%*s(internal padding bits are %s)", ind, "", pad_s);
     }
@@ -786,7 +816,7 @@ display_enum_type(hid_t type, int ind)
 
     /* Get the names and raw values of all members */
     name = calloc(nmembs, sizeof(char*));
-    value = calloc(nmembs, MAX(H5Tget_size(type), dst_size));
+    value = (unsigned char *)calloc(nmembs, MAX(H5Tget_size(type), dst_size));
     for (i=0; i<nmembs; i++) {
         name[i] = H5Tget_member_name(type, i);
         H5Tget_member_value(type, i, value+i*H5Tget_size(type));
@@ -889,6 +919,9 @@ display_string_type(hid_t type, int UNUSED ind)
         case H5T_STR_ERROR:
             pad_s = "unknown-format";
             break;
+        default:
+            ;
+        break;
     }
 
     /* Character set */
@@ -917,6 +950,9 @@ display_string_type(hid_t type, int UNUSED ind)
         case H5T_CSET_ERROR:
             cset_s = "unknown-character-set";
             break;
+        default:
+            ;
+        break;
     }
 
     if (H5Tis_variable_str(type)) {
@@ -1054,7 +1090,7 @@ display_array_type(hid_t type, int ind)
     if (H5T_ARRAY!=H5Tget_class(type)) return FALSE;
     ndims = H5Tget_array_ndims(type);
     if (ndims) {
-        dims = malloc(ndims*sizeof(dims[0]));
+        dims = (hsize_t *)malloc(ndims*sizeof(dims[0]));
         H5Tget_array_dims2(type, dims);
 
         /* Print dimensions */
@@ -1701,7 +1737,7 @@ list_obj(const char *name, const H5O_info_t *oinfo, const char *first_seen, void
     iter_t *iter = (iter_t*)_iter;
 
     /* Print the link's name, either full name or base name */
-    if(!iter->ext_target)
+    if(!iter->symlink_target)
         display_obj_name(stdout, iter, name, "");
 
     /* Check object information */
@@ -1709,7 +1745,7 @@ list_obj(const char *name, const H5O_info_t *oinfo, const char *first_seen, void
         printf("Unknown type(%d)", (int)oinfo->type);
         obj_type = H5O_TYPE_UNKNOWN;
     }
-    if(iter->ext_target)
+    if(iter->symlink_target)
         fputc('{', stdout);
     if(obj_type >= 0 && dispatch_g[obj_type].name)
         fputs(dispatch_g[obj_type].name, stdout);
@@ -1718,7 +1754,7 @@ list_obj(const char *name, const H5O_info_t *oinfo, const char *first_seen, void
     if(first_seen) {
         printf(", same as ");
         display_string(stdout, first_seen, TRUE);
-        if(!iter->ext_target)
+        if(!iter->symlink_target)
             printf("\n");
     } /* end if */
     else {
@@ -1735,7 +1771,7 @@ list_obj(const char *name, const H5O_info_t *oinfo, const char *first_seen, void
         /* List the first line of information for the object. */
         if(obj_type >= 0 && dispatch_g[obj_type].list1)
             (dispatch_g[obj_type].list1)(obj);
-        if(!iter->ext_target || (verbose_g > 0))
+        if(!iter->symlink_target || (verbose_g > 0))
             putchar('\n');
 
         /* Show detailed information about the object, beginning with information
@@ -1787,18 +1823,18 @@ list_obj(const char *name, const H5O_info_t *oinfo, const char *first_seen, void
     } /* end else */
 
 done:
-    if(iter->ext_target) {
+    if(iter->symlink_target) {
         fputs("}\n", stdout);
-        iter->ext_target = FALSE;
+        iter->symlink_target = FALSE;
     }
     return 0;
 } /* end list_obj() */
 
 
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
- * Function: elink_trav_add
+ * Function: symlink_visit_add
  *
- * Purpose: Add an external link to visited data structure
+ * Purpose: Add an symbolic link to visited data structure
  *
  * Return: 0 on success, -1 on failure
  *
@@ -1807,16 +1843,26 @@ done:
  *
  * Date: September 5, 2008
  *
+ * Modified: 
+ *  Jonathan Kim
+ *   - Renamed from elink_trav_add to symlink_visit_add for both soft and 
+ *     external links.   (May 25, 2010)
+ *   - Add type parameter to distingush between soft and external link for 
+ *     sure, which prevent from mixing up visited link when the target names
+ *     are same between the soft and external link, as code marks with the
+ *     target name.  (May 25,2010) 
+ *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
 static herr_t
-elink_trav_add(elink_trav_t *visited, const char *file, const char *path)
+symlink_visit_add(symlink_trav_t *visited, H5L_type_t type, const char *file, const char *path)
 {
     size_t  idx;         /* Index of address to use */
     void    *tmp_ptr;
 
     /* Allocate space if necessary */
-    if(visited->nused == visited->nalloc) {
+    if(visited->nused == visited->nalloc) 
+    {
         visited->nalloc = MAX(1, visited->nalloc * 2);
         if(NULL == (tmp_ptr = HDrealloc(visited->objs, visited->nalloc * sizeof(visited->objs[0]))))
             return -1;
@@ -1825,24 +1871,36 @@ elink_trav_add(elink_trav_t *visited, const char *file, const char *path)
 
     /* Append it */
     idx = visited->nused++;
-    if(NULL == (visited->objs[idx].file = HDstrdup(file))) {
-        visited->nused--;
-        return -1;
+
+    visited->objs[idx].type = type;
+    visited->objs[idx].file = NULL;
+    visited->objs[idx].path = NULL;
+
+    if (type == H5L_TYPE_EXTERNAL)
+    {
+        if(NULL == (visited->objs[idx].file = HDstrdup(file))) 
+        {
+            visited->nused--;
+            return -1;
+        }
     }
-    if(NULL == (visited->objs[idx].path = HDstrdup(path))) {
+
+    if(NULL == (visited->objs[idx].path = HDstrdup(path))) 
+    {
         visited->nused--;
-        HDfree (visited->objs[idx].file);
+        if (visited->objs[idx].file)
+            HDfree (visited->objs[idx].file);
         return -1;
     }
 
     return 0;
-} /* end elink_trav_add() */
+} /* end symlink_visit_add() */
 
 
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
- * Function: elink_trav_visited
+ * Function: symlink_is_visited
  *
- * Purpose: Check if an external link has already been visited
+ * Purpose: Check if an symbolic link has already been visited
  *
  * Return: TRUE/FALSE
  *
@@ -1851,22 +1909,41 @@ elink_trav_add(elink_trav_t *visited, const char *file, const char *path)
  *
  * Date: September 5, 2008
  *
+ * Modified: 
+ *  Jonathan Kim
+ *   - Renamed from elink_trav_visited to symlink_is_visited for both soft and 
+ *     external links.  (May 25, 2010)
+ *   - Add type parameter to distingush between soft and external link for 
+ *     sure, which prevent from mixing up visited link when the target names
+ *     are same between the soft and external link, as code marks with the
+ *     target name.  (May 25,2010) 
+ *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
 static hbool_t
-elink_trav_visited(elink_trav_t *visited, const char *file, const char *path)
+symlink_is_visited(symlink_trav_t *visited, H5L_type_t type, const char *file, const char *path)
 {
-    size_t u;           /* Local index variable */
+    size_t u;  /* Local index variable */
 
-    /* Look for elink */
+    /* Look for symlink */
     for(u = 0; u < visited->nused; u++)
-        /* Check for elink value already in array */
-        if(!HDstrcmp(visited->objs[u].file, file) && !HDstrcmp(visited->objs[u].path, path))
-            return(TRUE);
-
-    /* Didn't find elink */
+    {
+        /* Check for symlink values already in array */
+        /* check type and path pair to distingush between symbolic links */
+        if ((visited->objs[u].type == type) && !HDstrcmp(visited->objs[u].path, path))
+        {
+            /* if external link, file need to be matched as well */
+            if (visited->objs[u].type == H5L_TYPE_EXTERNAL)
+            {
+                if (!HDstrcmp(visited->objs[u].file, file))
+                    return (TRUE);
+            }
+            return (TRUE);
+        }
+    }
+    /* Didn't find symlink */
     return(FALSE);
-} /* end elink_trav_visited() */
+} /* end symlink_is_visited() */
 
 
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -1886,7 +1963,7 @@ elink_trav_visited(elink_trav_t *visited, const char *file, const char *path)
 static herr_t
 list_lnk(const char *name, const H5L_info_t *linfo, void *_iter)
 {
-    char *buf;
+    char *buf=NULL;
     iter_t *iter = (iter_t*)_iter;
 
     /* Print the link's name, either full name or base name */
@@ -1894,18 +1971,52 @@ list_lnk(const char *name, const H5L_info_t *linfo, void *_iter)
 
     switch(linfo->type) {
         case H5L_TYPE_SOFT:
-            if((buf = HDmalloc(linfo->u.val_size)) == NULL)
+            if((buf = (char*)HDmalloc(linfo->u.val_size)) == NULL)
                 goto done;
 
             if(H5Lget_val(iter->fid, name, buf, linfo->u.val_size, H5P_DEFAULT) < 0) {
-                HDfree(buf);
                 goto done;
             } /* end if */
 
             HDfputs("Soft Link {", stdout);
             HDfputs(buf, stdout);
-            HDfree(buf);
-            HDfputs("}\n", stdout);
+            HDfputc('}', stdout);
+            if(follow_symlink_g)
+            {
+                hbool_t orig_grp_literal = grp_literal_g;
+                HDfputc(' ', stdout);
+
+                /* Check if we have already seen this softlink */
+                if(symlink_is_visited(iter->symlink_list, linfo->type, NULL, buf)) 
+                {
+                    HDfputs("{Already Visited}\n", stdout);
+                    goto done;
+                }
+
+                /* Add this link to the list of seen softlinks */
+                if(symlink_visit_add(iter->symlink_list, linfo->type, NULL, buf) < 0) 
+                    goto done;
+
+                /* Adjust user data to specify that we are operating on the
+                 * target of an soft link */
+                iter->symlink_target = TRUE;
+
+                /* Prevent recursive listing of soft link target if
+                 * recursive_g is off */
+                if(!recursive_g)
+                    grp_literal_g = TRUE;
+                /* Recurse through the soft link */
+                if(visit_obj(iter->fid, name, iter) < 0) 
+                {
+                    grp_literal_g = orig_grp_literal;
+                    goto done;
+                }
+
+                grp_literal_g = orig_grp_literal;
+            }
+            else
+                HDfputc('\n', stdout);
+
             break;
 
         case H5L_TYPE_EXTERNAL:
@@ -1913,16 +2024,13 @@ list_lnk(const char *name, const H5L_info_t *linfo, void *_iter)
             const char *filename;
             const char *path;
 
-            if((buf = HDmalloc(linfo->u.val_size)) == NULL)
+            if((buf = (char*)HDmalloc(linfo->u.val_size)) == NULL)
                 goto done;
-            if(H5Lget_val(iter->fid, name, buf, linfo->u.val_size, H5P_DEFAULT) < 0) {
-                HDfree(buf);
+            if(H5Lget_val(iter->fid, name, buf, linfo->u.val_size, H5P_DEFAULT) < 0) 
                 goto done;
-            } /* end if */
-            if(H5Lunpack_elink_val(buf, linfo->u.val_size, NULL, &filename, &path) < 0) {
-                HDfree(buf);
+
+            if(H5Lunpack_elink_val(buf, linfo->u.val_size, NULL, &filename, &path) < 0) 
                 goto done;
-            } /* end if */
 
             HDfputs("External Link {", stdout);
             HDfputs(filename, stdout);
@@ -1933,27 +2041,28 @@ list_lnk(const char *name, const H5L_info_t *linfo, void *_iter)
             HDfputc('}', stdout);
 
             /* Recurse through the external link */
-            if(follow_elink_g) {
+            /* keep the follow_elink_g for backward compatibility with -E */
+            if(follow_symlink_g || follow_elink_g) 
+            {
                 hbool_t orig_grp_literal = grp_literal_g;
-
                 HDfputc(' ', stdout);
 
                 /* Check if we have already seen this elink */
-                if(elink_trav_visited(iter->elink_list, filename, path)) {
+                if(symlink_is_visited(iter->symlink_list, linfo->type, filename, path)) 
+                {
                     HDfputs("{Already Visited}\n", stdout);
-                    HDfree(buf);
                     goto done;
                 }
 
                 /* Add this link to the list of seen elinks */
-                if(elink_trav_add(iter->elink_list, filename, path) < 0) {
-                    HDfree(buf);
+                if(symlink_visit_add(iter->symlink_list, linfo->type, filename, path) < 0) 
+                {
                     goto done;
                 }
 
                 /* Adjust user data to specify that we are operating on the
                  * target of an external link */
-                iter->ext_target = TRUE;
+                iter->symlink_target = TRUE;
 
                 /* Prevent recursive listing of external link target if
                  * recursive_g is off */
@@ -1962,7 +2071,6 @@ list_lnk(const char *name, const H5L_info_t *linfo, void *_iter)
 
                 /* Recurse through the external link */
                 if(visit_obj(iter->fid, name, iter) < 0) {
-                    HDfree(buf);
                     grp_literal_g = orig_grp_literal;
                     goto done;
                 }
@@ -1972,7 +2080,6 @@ list_lnk(const char *name, const H5L_info_t *linfo, void *_iter)
             else
                 HDfputc('\n', stdout);
 
-            HDfree(buf);
             }
             break;
 
@@ -1982,6 +2089,8 @@ list_lnk(const char *name, const H5L_info_t *linfo, void *_iter)
     } /* end switch */
 
 done:
+    if (buf)
+        HDfree(buf);
     return 0;
 } /* end list_lnk() */
 
@@ -2008,9 +2117,9 @@ visit_obj(hid_t file, const char *oname, iter_t *iter)
 
     /* Retrieve info for object to list */
     if(H5Oget_info_by_name(file, oname, &oi, H5P_DEFAULT) < 0) {
-        if(iter->ext_target) {
+        if(iter->symlink_target) {
             HDfputs("{**NOT FOUND**}\n", stdout);
-            iter->ext_target = FALSE;
+            iter->symlink_target = FALSE;
         }
         else
             display_obj_name(stdout, iter, oname, "**NOT FOUND**");
@@ -2020,7 +2129,7 @@ visit_obj(hid_t file, const char *oname, iter_t *iter)
     /* Check for group iteration */
     if(H5O_TYPE_GROUP == oi.type && !grp_literal_g) {
         /* Get ID for group */
-        if(!iter->ext_target && (iter->gid = H5Gopen2(file, oname, H5P_DEFAULT)) < 0) {
+        if(!iter->symlink_target && (iter->gid = H5Gopen2(file, oname, H5P_DEFAULT)) < 0) {
             fprintf(stderr, "%s: unable to open '%s' as group\n", iter->fname, oname);
             return 0;   /* Previously "continue", when this code was in main().
                          * We don't "continue" here in order to close the file
@@ -2032,10 +2141,10 @@ visit_obj(hid_t file, const char *oname, iter_t *iter)
         iter->name_start = iter->base_len;
 
         /* Specified name is a group. List the complete contents of the group. */
-        h5trav_visit(file, oname, (hbool_t) (display_root_g || iter->ext_target), recursive_g, list_obj, list_lnk, iter);
+        h5trav_visit(file, oname, (hbool_t) (display_root_g || iter->symlink_target), recursive_g, list_obj, list_lnk, iter);
 
         /* Close group */
-        if(!iter->ext_target)
+        if(!iter->symlink_target)
             H5Gclose(iter->gid);
     } /* end if */
     else {
@@ -2211,6 +2320,8 @@ main(int argc, const char *argv[])
             data_g = TRUE;
         } else if(!HDstrcmp(argv[argno], "--errors")) {
             show_errors_g = TRUE;
+        } else if(!HDstrcmp(argv[argno], "--follow-symlinks")) {
+            follow_symlink_g = TRUE;
         } else if(!HDstrcmp(argv[argno], "--external")) {
             follow_elink_g = TRUE;
         } else if(!HDstrcmp(argv[argno], "--full")) {
@@ -2381,7 +2492,7 @@ main(int argc, const char *argv[])
     while(argno < argc) {
         H5L_info_t li;
         iter_t iter;
-        elink_trav_t elink_list;
+        symlink_trav_t symlink_list;
         size_t u;
 
         fname = HDstrdup(argv[argno++]);
@@ -2443,12 +2554,12 @@ main(int argc, const char *argv[])
         iter.fname = fname;
         iter.fid = file;
         iter.gid = -1;
-        iter.ext_target = FALSE;
-        iter.elink_list = &elink_list;
+        iter.symlink_target = FALSE;
+        iter.symlink_list = &symlink_list;
 
-        /* Initialize list of visited external links */
-        elink_list.nused = elink_list.nalloc = 0;
-        elink_list.objs = NULL;
+        /* Initialize list of visited symbolic links */
+        symlink_list.nused = symlink_list.nalloc = 0;
+        symlink_list.objs = NULL;
 
         /* Check for root group as object name */
         if(HDstrcmp(oname, root_name)) {
@@ -2477,11 +2588,14 @@ main(int argc, const char *argv[])
         if(x)
             HDfree(oname);
 
-        for(u=0; u < elink_list.nused; u++) {
-            HDfree(elink_list.objs[u].file);
-            HDfree(elink_list.objs[u].path);
+        for(u=0; u < symlink_list.nused; u++) 
+        {
+            if (symlink_list.objs[u].type == H5L_TYPE_EXTERNAL)
+                HDfree(symlink_list.objs[u].file);
+
+            HDfree(symlink_list.objs[u].path);
         }
-        HDfree(elink_list.objs);
+        HDfree(symlink_list.objs);
     } /* end while */
 
     if (err_openfile)
diff --git a/tools/h5ls/testh5ls.sh.in b/tools/h5ls/testh5ls.sh.in
index 367e539..40dcaa4 100644
--- a/tools/h5ls/testh5ls.sh.in
+++ b/tools/h5ls/testh5ls.sh.in
@@ -129,17 +129,32 @@ TOOLTEST tdset-1.ls 0 -w80 -r -d tdset.h5
 # test for displaying soft links
 TOOLTEST tslink-1.ls 0 -w80 -r tslink.h5
 
-# test for displaying external and user-defined links
+# test for displaying more soft links with --follow-symlinks
+TOOLTEST tsoftlinks-1.ls 0 --follow-symlinks tsoftlinks.h5
+TOOLTEST tsoftlinks-2.ls 0 --follow-symlinks -r tsoftlinks.h5
+TOOLTEST tsoftlinks-3.ls 0 --follow-symlinks tsoftlinks.h5/group1
+TOOLTEST tsoftlinks-4.ls 0 --follow-symlinks -r tsoftlinks.h5/group1
+TOOLTEST tsoftlinks-5.ls 0 --follow-symlinks tsoftlinks.h5/soft_dset1
+
+# test for displaying external and user-defined links with --follow-symlinks
 TOOLTEST textlink-1.ls 0 -w80 -r textlink.h5
-TOOLTEST textlinksrc-1.ls 0 -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5
-TOOLTEST textlinksrc-2.ls 0 -w80 -Erv textlinksrc.h5/ext_link5
-TOOLTEST textlinksrc-3.ls 0 -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1
+TOOLTEST textlinksrc-1.ls 0 -w80 --follow-symlinks -r textlinksrc.h5
+TOOLTEST textlinksrc-2.ls 0 -w80 --follow-symlinks -rv textlinksrc.h5/ext_link5
+TOOLTEST textlinksrc-3.ls 0 -w80 --follow-symlinks -r textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1
 TOOLTEST textlinksrc-4.ls 0 -w80 -r textlinksrc.h5
 TOOLTEST textlinksrc-5.ls 0 -w80 -r textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1
-TOOLTEST textlinksrc-6.ls 0 -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5
-TOOLTEST textlinksrc-7.ls 0 -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1
+TOOLTEST textlinksrc-6.ls 0 -w80 --follow-symlinks textlinksrc.h5
+TOOLTEST textlinksrc-7.ls 0 -w80 --follow-symlinks textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1
 TOOLTEST tudlink-1.ls 0 -w80 -r tudlink.h5
 
+# test for displaying external links with -E
+# the option -E will be depriciated but keep it for backward compatibility
+TOOLTEST textlinksrc-1-old.ls 0 -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5
+TOOLTEST textlinksrc-2-old.ls 0 -w80 -Erv textlinksrc.h5/ext_link5
+TOOLTEST textlinksrc-3-old.ls 0 -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1
+TOOLTEST textlinksrc-6-old.ls 0 -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5
+TOOLTEST textlinksrc-7-old.ls 0 -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1
+
 # tests for hard links
 TOOLTEST thlink-1.ls 0 -w80 thlink.h5
 
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/help-1.ls b/tools/testfiles/help-1.ls
index 4c45570..1b5de0c 100644
--- a/tools/testfiles/help-1.ls
+++ b/tools/testfiles/help-1.ls
@@ -2,27 +2,43 @@
  output for 'h5ls -w80 -h'
 #############################
 usage: h5ls [OPTIONS] [OBJECTS...]
-   OPTIONS
-      -h, -?, --help   Print a usage message and exit
-      -a, --address    Print addresses for raw data
-      -d, --data       Print the values of datasets
-      -e, --errors     Show all HDF5 error reporting
-      -E, --external   Allow traversal into external files
-      -f, --full       Print full path names instead of base names
-      -g, --group      Show information about a group, not its contents
-      -l, --label      Label members of compound datasets
-      -r, --recursive  List all groups recursively, avoiding cycles
-      -s, --string     Print 1-byte integer datasets as ASCII
-      -S, --simple     Use a machine-readable output format
-      -wN, --width=N   Set the number of columns of output
-      -v, --verbose    Generate more verbose output
-      -V, --version    Print version number and exit
-      --vfd=DRIVER     Use the specified virtual file driver
-      -x, --hexdump    Show raw data in hexadecimal format
+  OPTIONS
+   -h, -?, --help     Print a usage message and exit
+   -a, --address      Print addresses for raw data
+   -d, --data         Print the values of datasets
+   -e, --errors       Show all HDF5 error reporting
+   --follow-symlinks  Follow symbolic links (soft links and external links)
+                      to display target object information.
+                      Without this option, h5ls identifies a symbolic link
+                      as a soft link or external link and prints the value
+                      assigned to the symbolic link; it does not provide any
+                      information regarding the target object or determine
+                      whether the link is a dangling link.
+   -f, --full         Print full path names instead of base names
+   -g, --group        Show information about a group, not its contents
+   -l, --label        Label members of compound datasets
+   -r, --recursive    List all groups recursively, avoiding cycles
+   -s, --string       Print 1-byte integer datasets as ASCII
+   -S, --simple       Use a machine-readable output format
+   -wN, --width=N     Set the number of columns of output
+   -v, --verbose      Generate more verbose output
+   -V, --version      Print version number and exit
+   --vfd=DRIVER       Use the specified virtual file driver
+   -x, --hexdump      Show raw data in hexadecimal format
 
-   OBJECTS
-      Each object consists of an HDF5 file name optionally followed by a
-      slash and an object name within the file (if no object is specified
-      within the file then the contents of the root group are displayed).
-      The file name may include a printf(3C) integer format such as
-      "%05d" to open a file family.
+  OBJECTS
+    Each object consists of an HDF5 file name optionally followed by a
+    slash and an object name within the file (if no object is specified
+    within the file then the contents of the root group are displayed).
+    The file name may include a printf(3C) integer format such as
+    "%05d" to open a file family.
+
+  Deprecated Options
+    The following options have been deprecated in HDF5. While they remain
+    available, they have been superseded as indicated and may be removed
+    from HDF5 in the future. Use the indicated replacement option in all
+    new work; where possible, existing scripts, et cetera, should also be
+    updated to use the replacement option.
+
+   -E or --external   Follow external links.
+                      Replaced by --follow-symlinks.
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/help-2.ls b/tools/testfiles/help-2.ls
index 522cb5a..6f7e75d 100644
--- a/tools/testfiles/help-2.ls
+++ b/tools/testfiles/help-2.ls
@@ -2,27 +2,43 @@
  output for 'h5ls -w80 -help'
 #############################
 usage: h5ls [OPTIONS] [OBJECTS...]
-   OPTIONS
-      -h, -?, --help   Print a usage message and exit
-      -a, --address    Print addresses for raw data
-      -d, --data       Print the values of datasets
-      -e, --errors     Show all HDF5 error reporting
-      -E, --external   Allow traversal into external files
-      -f, --full       Print full path names instead of base names
-      -g, --group      Show information about a group, not its contents
-      -l, --label      Label members of compound datasets
-      -r, --recursive  List all groups recursively, avoiding cycles
-      -s, --string     Print 1-byte integer datasets as ASCII
-      -S, --simple     Use a machine-readable output format
-      -wN, --width=N   Set the number of columns of output
-      -v, --verbose    Generate more verbose output
-      -V, --version    Print version number and exit
-      --vfd=DRIVER     Use the specified virtual file driver
-      -x, --hexdump    Show raw data in hexadecimal format
+  OPTIONS
+   -h, -?, --help     Print a usage message and exit
+   -a, --address      Print addresses for raw data
+   -d, --data         Print the values of datasets
+   -e, --errors       Show all HDF5 error reporting
+   --follow-symlinks  Follow symbolic links (soft links and external links)
+                      to display target object information.
+                      Without this option, h5ls identifies a symbolic link
+                      as a soft link or external link and prints the value
+                      assigned to the symbolic link; it does not provide any
+                      information regarding the target object or determine
+                      whether the link is a dangling link.
+   -f, --full         Print full path names instead of base names
+   -g, --group        Show information about a group, not its contents
+   -l, --label        Label members of compound datasets
+   -r, --recursive    List all groups recursively, avoiding cycles
+   -s, --string       Print 1-byte integer datasets as ASCII
+   -S, --simple       Use a machine-readable output format
+   -wN, --width=N     Set the number of columns of output
+   -v, --verbose      Generate more verbose output
+   -V, --version      Print version number and exit
+   --vfd=DRIVER       Use the specified virtual file driver
+   -x, --hexdump      Show raw data in hexadecimal format
 
-   OBJECTS
-      Each object consists of an HDF5 file name optionally followed by a
-      slash and an object name within the file (if no object is specified
-      within the file then the contents of the root group are displayed).
-      The file name may include a printf(3C) integer format such as
-      "%05d" to open a file family.
+  OBJECTS
+    Each object consists of an HDF5 file name optionally followed by a
+    slash and an object name within the file (if no object is specified
+    within the file then the contents of the root group are displayed).
+    The file name may include a printf(3C) integer format such as
+    "%05d" to open a file family.
+
+  Deprecated Options
+    The following options have been deprecated in HDF5. While they remain
+    available, they have been superseded as indicated and may be removed
+    from HDF5 in the future. Use the indicated replacement option in all
+    new work; where possible, existing scripts, et cetera, should also be
+    updated to use the replacement option.
+
+   -E or --external   Follow external links.
+                      Replaced by --follow-symlinks.
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/help-3.ls b/tools/testfiles/help-3.ls
index 22ad865..939c8eb 100644
--- a/tools/testfiles/help-3.ls
+++ b/tools/testfiles/help-3.ls
@@ -2,27 +2,43 @@
  output for 'h5ls -w80 -?'
 #############################
 usage: h5ls [OPTIONS] [OBJECTS...]
-   OPTIONS
-      -h, -?, --help   Print a usage message and exit
-      -a, --address    Print addresses for raw data
-      -d, --data       Print the values of datasets
-      -e, --errors     Show all HDF5 error reporting
-      -E, --external   Allow traversal into external files
-      -f, --full       Print full path names instead of base names
-      -g, --group      Show information about a group, not its contents
-      -l, --label      Label members of compound datasets
-      -r, --recursive  List all groups recursively, avoiding cycles
-      -s, --string     Print 1-byte integer datasets as ASCII
-      -S, --simple     Use a machine-readable output format
-      -wN, --width=N   Set the number of columns of output
-      -v, --verbose    Generate more verbose output
-      -V, --version    Print version number and exit
-      --vfd=DRIVER     Use the specified virtual file driver
-      -x, --hexdump    Show raw data in hexadecimal format
+  OPTIONS
+   -h, -?, --help     Print a usage message and exit
+   -a, --address      Print addresses for raw data
+   -d, --data         Print the values of datasets
+   -e, --errors       Show all HDF5 error reporting
+   --follow-symlinks  Follow symbolic links (soft links and external links)
+                      to display target object information.
+                      Without this option, h5ls identifies a symbolic link
+                      as a soft link or external link and prints the value
+                      assigned to the symbolic link; it does not provide any
+                      information regarding the target object or determine
+                      whether the link is a dangling link.
+   -f, --full         Print full path names instead of base names
+   -g, --group        Show information about a group, not its contents
+   -l, --label        Label members of compound datasets
+   -r, --recursive    List all groups recursively, avoiding cycles
+   -s, --string       Print 1-byte integer datasets as ASCII
+   -S, --simple       Use a machine-readable output format
+   -wN, --width=N     Set the number of columns of output
+   -v, --verbose      Generate more verbose output
+   -V, --version      Print version number and exit
+   --vfd=DRIVER       Use the specified virtual file driver
+   -x, --hexdump      Show raw data in hexadecimal format
 
-   OBJECTS
-      Each object consists of an HDF5 file name optionally followed by a
-      slash and an object name within the file (if no object is specified
-      within the file then the contents of the root group are displayed).
-      The file name may include a printf(3C) integer format such as
-      "%05d" to open a file family.
+  OBJECTS
+    Each object consists of an HDF5 file name optionally followed by a
+    slash and an object name within the file (if no object is specified
+    within the file then the contents of the root group are displayed).
+    The file name may include a printf(3C) integer format such as
+    "%05d" to open a file family.
+
+  Deprecated Options
+    The following options have been deprecated in HDF5. While they remain
+    available, they have been superseded as indicated and may be removed
+    from HDF5 in the future. Use the indicated replacement option in all
+    new work; where possible, existing scripts, et cetera, should also be
+    updated to use the replacement option.
+
+   -E or --external   Follow external links.
+                      Replaced by --follow-symlinks.
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-1-old.ls b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-1-old.ls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5e81dec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-1-old.ls
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#############################
+ output for 'h5ls -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5'
+#############################
+/                        Group
+/ext_link1               External Link {textlinktar.h5//group} {Group}
+/ext_link1/dset          Dataset {6}
+/ext_link1/elink_t1      External Link {textlinksrc.h5//} {Group}
+/ext_link1/elink_t1/ext_link1 External Link {textlinktar.h5//group} {Already Visited}
+/ext_link1/elink_t1/ext_link2 External Link {textlinktar.h5//dset} {Dataset {6}}
+/ext_link1/elink_t1/ext_link3 External Link {textlinktar.h5//type} {Type}
+/ext_link1/elink_t1/ext_link4 External Link {textlinktar.h5//group/elink_t2} {**NOT FOUND**}
+/ext_link1/elink_t1/ext_link5 External Link {textlinktar.h5//empty_group} {Group}
+/ext_link1/elink_t2      External Link {textlinksrc.h5//ext_link4} {**NOT FOUND**}
+/ext_link1/subgroup      Group
+/ext_link1/subgroup/link_to_group Group, same as /ext_link1
+/ext_link2               External Link {textlinktar.h5//dset} {Already Visited}
+/ext_link3               External Link {textlinktar.h5//type} {Already Visited}
+/ext_link4               External Link {textlinktar.h5//group/elink_t2} {Already Visited}
+/ext_link5               External Link {textlinktar.h5//empty_group} {Already Visited}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-1.ls b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-1.ls
index 5e81dec..f39eec9 100644
--- a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-1.ls
+++ b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-1.ls
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #############################
- output for 'h5ls -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5'
+ output for 'h5ls -w80 --follow-symlinks -r textlinksrc.h5'
 #############################
 /                        Group
 /ext_link1               External Link {textlinktar.h5//group} {Group}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-2-old.ls b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-2-old.ls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..acdc3d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-2-old.ls
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#############################
+ output for 'h5ls -w80 -Erv textlinksrc.h5/ext_link5'
+#############################
+Opened "textlinksrc.h5" with sec2 driver.
+ext_link5                External Link {textlinktar.h5//empty_group} {Group
+    Location:  3:1832
+    Links:     1
+}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-2.ls b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-2.ls
index acdc3d2..ea99be8 100644
--- a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-2.ls
+++ b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-2.ls
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #############################
- output for 'h5ls -w80 -Erv textlinksrc.h5/ext_link5'
+ output for 'h5ls -w80 --follow-symlinks -rv textlinksrc.h5/ext_link5'
 #############################
 Opened "textlinksrc.h5" with sec2 driver.
 ext_link5                External Link {textlinktar.h5//empty_group} {Group
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-3-old.ls b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-3-old.ls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a86ca32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-3-old.ls
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#############################
+ output for 'h5ls -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1'
+#############################
+ext_link1                External Link {textlinktar.h5//group} {Group}
+/dset                    Dataset {6}
+/elink_t1                External Link {textlinksrc.h5//} {Group}
+/elink_t1/ext_link1      External Link {textlinktar.h5//group} {Already Visited}
+/elink_t1/ext_link2      External Link {textlinktar.h5//dset} {Dataset {6}}
+/elink_t1/ext_link3      External Link {textlinktar.h5//type} {Type}
+/elink_t1/ext_link4      External Link {textlinktar.h5//group/elink_t2} {**NOT FOUND**}
+/elink_t1/ext_link5      External Link {textlinktar.h5//empty_group} {Group}
+/elink_t2                External Link {textlinksrc.h5//ext_link4} {**NOT FOUND**}
+/subgroup                Group
+/subgroup/link_to_group  Group, same as /ext_link1
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-3.ls b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-3.ls
index a86ca32..bd173f3 100644
--- a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-3.ls
+++ b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-3.ls
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #############################
- output for 'h5ls -w80 -Er textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1'
+ output for 'h5ls -w80 --follow-symlinks -r textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1'
 #############################
 ext_link1                External Link {textlinktar.h5//group} {Group}
 /dset                    Dataset {6}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-6-old.ls b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-6-old.ls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e1b8b74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-6-old.ls
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#############################
+ output for 'h5ls -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5'
+#############################
+ext_link1                External Link {textlinktar.h5//group} {Group}
+ext_link2                External Link {textlinktar.h5//dset} {Dataset {6}}
+ext_link3                External Link {textlinktar.h5//type} {Type}
+ext_link4                External Link {textlinktar.h5//group/elink_t2} {**NOT FOUND**}
+ext_link5                External Link {textlinktar.h5//empty_group} {Group}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-6.ls b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-6.ls
index e1b8b74..6cda888 100644
--- a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-6.ls
+++ b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-6.ls
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #############################
- output for 'h5ls -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5'
+ output for 'h5ls -w80 --follow-symlinks textlinksrc.h5'
 #############################
 ext_link1                External Link {textlinktar.h5//group} {Group}
 ext_link2                External Link {textlinktar.h5//dset} {Dataset {6}}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-7-old.ls b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-7-old.ls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9249d0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-7-old.ls
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#############################
+ output for 'h5ls -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1'
+#############################
+ext_link1                External Link {textlinktar.h5//group} {Group}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-7.ls b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-7.ls
index 9249d0c..528c4c5 100644
--- a/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-7.ls
+++ b/tools/testfiles/textlinksrc-7.ls
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 #############################
- output for 'h5ls -w80 -E textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1'
+ output for 'h5ls -w80 --follow-symlinks textlinksrc.h5/ext_link1'
 #############################
 ext_link1                External Link {textlinktar.h5//group} {Group}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/tgroup-1.ls b/tools/testfiles/tgroup-1.ls
index 5401cd7..8d38e0f 100644
--- a/tools/testfiles/tgroup-1.ls
+++ b/tools/testfiles/tgroup-1.ls
@@ -4,27 +4,43 @@
 Error: 'recursive' option not compatible with 'group info' option!
 
 usage: h5ls [OPTIONS] [OBJECTS...]
-   OPTIONS
-      -h, -?, --help   Print a usage message and exit
-      -a, --address    Print addresses for raw data
-      -d, --data       Print the values of datasets
-      -e, --errors     Show all HDF5 error reporting
-      -E, --external   Allow traversal into external files
-      -f, --full       Print full path names instead of base names
-      -g, --group      Show information about a group, not its contents
-      -l, --label      Label members of compound datasets
-      -r, --recursive  List all groups recursively, avoiding cycles
-      -s, --string     Print 1-byte integer datasets as ASCII
-      -S, --simple     Use a machine-readable output format
-      -wN, --width=N   Set the number of columns of output
-      -v, --verbose    Generate more verbose output
-      -V, --version    Print version number and exit
-      --vfd=DRIVER     Use the specified virtual file driver
-      -x, --hexdump    Show raw data in hexadecimal format
+  OPTIONS
+   -h, -?, --help     Print a usage message and exit
+   -a, --address      Print addresses for raw data
+   -d, --data         Print the values of datasets
+   -e, --errors       Show all HDF5 error reporting
+   --follow-symlinks  Follow symbolic links (soft links and external links)
+                      to display target object information.
+                      Without this option, h5ls identifies a symbolic link
+                      as a soft link or external link and prints the value
+                      assigned to the symbolic link; it does not provide any
+                      information regarding the target object or determine
+                      whether the link is a dangling link.
+   -f, --full         Print full path names instead of base names
+   -g, --group        Show information about a group, not its contents
+   -l, --label        Label members of compound datasets
+   -r, --recursive    List all groups recursively, avoiding cycles
+   -s, --string       Print 1-byte integer datasets as ASCII
+   -S, --simple       Use a machine-readable output format
+   -wN, --width=N     Set the number of columns of output
+   -v, --verbose      Generate more verbose output
+   -V, --version      Print version number and exit
+   --vfd=DRIVER       Use the specified virtual file driver
+   -x, --hexdump      Show raw data in hexadecimal format
 
-   OBJECTS
-      Each object consists of an HDF5 file name optionally followed by a
-      slash and an object name within the file (if no object is specified
-      within the file then the contents of the root group are displayed).
-      The file name may include a printf(3C) integer format such as
-      "%05d" to open a file family.
+  OBJECTS
+    Each object consists of an HDF5 file name optionally followed by a
+    slash and an object name within the file (if no object is specified
+    within the file then the contents of the root group are displayed).
+    The file name may include a printf(3C) integer format such as
+    "%05d" to open a file family.
+
+  Deprecated Options
+    The following options have been deprecated in HDF5. While they remain
+    available, they have been superseded as indicated and may be removed
+    from HDF5 in the future. Use the indicated replacement option in all
+    new work; where possible, existing scripts, et cetera, should also be
+    updated to use the replacement option.
+
+   -E or --external   Follow external links.
+                      Replaced by --follow-symlinks.
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-1.ls b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-1.ls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fc57da9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-1.ls
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#############################
+ output for 'h5ls --follow-symlinks tsoftlinks.h5'
+#############################
+dset1                    Dataset {4, 2}
+dset2                    Dataset {4, 2}
+dtype                    Type
+group1                   Group
+group_empty              Group
+soft_dangle              Soft Link {not_yet} {**NOT FOUND**}
+soft_dset1               Soft Link {/dset1} {Dataset {4, 2}}
+soft_dtype               Soft Link {/dtype} {Type}
+soft_empty_grp           Soft Link {/group_empty} {Group}
+soft_group1              Soft Link {/group1} {Group}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-2.ls b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-2.ls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3566f70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-2.ls
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+#############################
+ output for 'h5ls --follow-symlinks -r tsoftlinks.h5'
+#############################
+/                        Group
+/dset1                   Dataset {4, 2}
+/dset2                   Dataset {4, 2}
+/dtype                   Type
+/group1                  Group
+/group1/soft_dangle      Soft Link {not_yet} {**NOT FOUND**}
+/group1/soft_dset1       Soft Link {/dset1} {Dataset {4, 2}}
+/group1/soft_dset2       Soft Link {/dset2} {Dataset {4, 2}}
+/group1/soft_dtype       Soft Link {/dtype} {Type}
+/group1/soft_empty_grp   Soft Link {/group_empty} {Group}
+/group_empty             Group
+/soft_dangle             Soft Link {not_yet} {Already Visited}
+/soft_dset1              Soft Link {/dset1} {Already Visited}
+/soft_dtype              Soft Link {/dtype} {Already Visited}
+/soft_empty_grp          Soft Link {/group_empty} {Already Visited}
+/soft_group1             Soft Link {/group1} {Group}
+/soft_group1/soft_dangle Soft Link {not_yet} {Already Visited}
+/soft_group1/soft_dset1  Soft Link {/dset1} {Already Visited}
+/soft_group1/soft_dset2  Soft Link {/dset2} {Already Visited}
+/soft_group1/soft_dtype  Soft Link {/dtype} {Already Visited}
+/soft_group1/soft_empty_grp Soft Link {/group_empty} {Already Visited}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-3.ls b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-3.ls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2face70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-3.ls
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#############################
+ output for 'h5ls --follow-symlinks tsoftlinks.h5/group1'
+#############################
+soft_dangle              Soft Link {not_yet} {**NOT FOUND**}
+soft_dset1               Soft Link {/dset1} {Dataset {4, 2}}
+soft_dset2               Soft Link {/dset2} {Dataset {4, 2}}
+soft_dtype               Soft Link {/dtype} {Type}
+soft_empty_grp           Soft Link {/group_empty} {Group}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-4.ls b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-4.ls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c1f4568
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-4.ls
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#############################
+ output for 'h5ls --follow-symlinks -r tsoftlinks.h5/group1'
+#############################
+/soft_dangle             Soft Link {not_yet} {**NOT FOUND**}
+/soft_dset1              Soft Link {/dset1} {Dataset {4, 2}}
+/soft_dset2              Soft Link {/dset2} {Dataset {4, 2}}
+/soft_dtype              Soft Link {/dtype} {Type}
+/soft_empty_grp          Soft Link {/group_empty} {Group}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-5.ls b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-5.ls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6e915e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks-5.ls
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#############################
+ output for 'h5ls --follow-symlinks tsoftlinks.h5/soft_dset1'
+#############################
+soft_dset1               Soft Link {/dset1} {Dataset {4, 2}}
diff --git a/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks.h5 b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks.h5
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..01ea922
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testfiles/tsoftlinks.h5