Week 1 - Set #1 - Basic Commands - Intro to OS - Becoming a Power User
Windows command line interfaces (CLIs)
1) Command Prompt, cmd.exe 2) Powershell Prompt, powershell.exe
ways to create spaces in file names in the shell
1) put the name in single quotes like 'my cool folder' 2) use backticks like my` cool` folder
ways to create spaces in file names in Bash (Linux)
1) use backslash \ Example: mkdir my\ cool\ folder 2) use quotes Example: mkdir 'my cool folder'
echo command
A command used to display or echo output to the terminal screen. It might utilize escape sequences.
Recycle Bin
A holding area for files and folders before their final deletion from a storage device; is usually a hidden file.
child directory
Another term for a subdirectory
shortcut for getting to a folder under parent directory
Example: cd ..\Desktop rather than typing out the whole thing
cd ~
The tilde is a shortcut for the path of your home directory
wildcard
a character that's used to help select files based on a certain pattern
parent directory
a directory that holds other directories
parameter
a value that's associated with a command
flag
a way to specify additional options for a command
-a
all
ls command, -Force
all the hidden files in the directory
how do you hide a file or folder in linux
by pre-pending a dot to it. example: .I_am_hidden.
shortcut to get to the desktop directory of the home folder (or directory)
cd ~\Desktop
cd
change directory command
clear command
clears the output on your screen
shell
command line interpreter in Linux
Program Files x86 directory
contains most of the applications and other programs that are installed in Windows users
How do you copy over the contents of a directory in PowerShell?
cp filename destination -recurse -verbose
What does the dot in front of the path of .\Desktop means
current directory
ls -l/
detailed information about files and folders in the format of a long list
/user
directory for user installed software
man ls
gives the same information for --help (what options are available for a command) BUT with more details
cd ..
go to the directory one level up
Program data
in general, this directory is used to hold data for programs that are installed in Program Files; is usually hidden file
hotkey
keyboard shortcut
Tab completion
lets us use the tab key to auto-complete file names and directories; type first letter of file and then hit tab until the correct file name appears; Note: In Linux, after using the tab you get a list to pick from rather than rotation through with additional tabs in Windows
shortcut Ctrl+R
lets you search through your previously used commands by typing bits and pieces of the command you want to look for
-l
list
ls
list directory contents command
ls C:\
listing the directories in the root of C: drive.
ls -la/ is the same as what command
ls -l -a (the first is combined)
root directory
main directory in Linux that all others stem from; uses forward \ which differs from windows
mkdir
make a new folder; example: mkdir my_cool_folder
What commands in Bash get you help?
man ls; ls --help
man command
manual command; used to show manual pages (called man pages in Linux)
Get-Help ls -Full
more detailed help; returns a description of each of the parameters and some examples of how to use the command
mv
move command; lets you rename or move a file
How do you move multiple documents from one directory to another in Windows PowerShell?
mv *.filetype destination folder Example: To move the documents to Documents folder: green_document.txt red_document.txt yellow_document.txt mv *_document.txt c:\users\Cindy\Documents
How do you move multiple documents from one folder to another in Linux?
mv *.filetype destination folder Example: To move the documents to Documents folder: green_document.txt red_document.txt yellow_document.txt mv *_document.txt ~/Desktop
How do you move one document into a different folder in Linux?
mv filename destination Example: Move a file called blue_document.tx into a folder called Documents. mv blue_document.txt ~/Documents
basic operating system navigation
navigating from one directory to another, getting file information, and removing files and directories
What does cp verbose do?
output one line for each file of the directory being copied
pwd
print working directory; tells you which directory you're currently in
-r
recursive command in Bash
rm
remove a file from a directory without it going to the recycle bin
Get-Help ls
returns the text describing the parameters of the ls command
How do you remove an entire parent folder and children files
rm folder -recurse Example: rm ~\misc_folder -recurse
file and text manipulation
searching through your directories to find a specific file, copying and pasting, chaining commands and more
Bash
shell, or command language interpreter, for the GNU operating system
history command
shows a list of commands that were input earlier; you can scroll through the list with the up and down buttons on the keyboard; once you get to a command you want, you can append it if necessary to make a new file
/var
stores system logs and any file that constantly changes in here
cp
the command in PowerShell to copy something
escape character
the next character after the back tick should be treated literally. In the example: my` cool` file, escaping the space tells the shell that the space after the back tick is part of our filename (in Powershell but escape character may be different for other programs)
relative path
the path from your current directory
absolute path
the path that starts from the main directory
/home
the personal directory for users; holds user documents, pictures, etc. and is similar to Windows users directory
What happens if you enter /ls without a directory name?
the system defaults to the directory you are currently in
/proc
this directory contains information about currently running processes
/bin
this directory stores essential binaries or programs; similar to our Windows program files directory
/etsy
this folder stores important system configuration files
-recurse
this parameter lists the contents of the directory
what do you do if you are using an older version of Powershell that does not support the shortcut Ctrl+R
type the # symbol followed by some part of your old command, and then use Tab completion to cycle through the items in your history.
how would you copy over all the .jpg files in a folder
use cp *.jpg, and the path you want to copy them to
-Force
used (if you have permissions as administrator) after using rm and getting an error message by the system; this should force the removal Example: rm C:\users\Cindy\important_system_file -Force
--help
view what options are available for a command