The Command Line
<1> INTRO TO CLI
Linux has a graphical user interface and it works pretty much like the GUI’s on other systems that you are familiar with such as Windows and OSX.
So, what are they exactly?
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A command line, or terminal, is a text-based interface to the system. You are able to enter commands by typing them on the keyboard and feedback will be given to you similarly as text.
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The command line typically presents you with a prompt. As you type, it will be displayed after the prompt. Most of the time you will be issuing commands.
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The terminal may seem daunting but don’t fret. Linux is full of shortcuts to help make your life easier. You’ll be introduced to several of them throughout this tutorial. Take note of them as not only do they make your life easier, they often also save you from making silly mistakes such as typos.
Basic Windows CLI Commands
DOS Commands Help
- You can display all available commands with the help command:
- For more information on a specific command, type help + command-name
<2> Basic Navigation!
The three commands that we use to navigate the file path.
1. pwd Print Working Directory - ie. Where are we currently. Syntax :: pwd
2. ls List the contents of a directory. Syntax :: Is [options][location]
3. cd Change Directories - ie. move to another directory. Syntax :: cd [location]
<3> More About Files!
- Everything is a File in Linux.
- Linux is an Extensionless System.
- Linux is Case Sensitive.
- Spaces in names :
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Spaces in file and directory names are perfectly valid but we need to be a little careful with them.
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space on the command line is how we seperate items. They are how we know what is the program name and can identify each command line argument.
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- Escape Characters :
- Another method is to use what is called an escape character, which is a backslash ( \ ). What the backslash does is escape (or nullify) the special meaning of the next character.
The two commands you use to work with files :
<1> file
obtain information about what type of file a file or directory is.
<2> ls -a
List the contents of a directory, including hidden files.