Linux File & Directory Management

Navigating the Linux command line efficiently hinges on your ability to manage files and directories. This guide will equip you with the essential commands: touch, mkdir, cd, cat, echo, ls, and pwd, along with a clear understanding of absolute and relative filenames.

Core Commands:

• mkdir (Make Directory): Creates new directories.

  • Example: $ mkdir my_folder

• touch: Creates empty files.

  • Example: $ touch my_file.txt

• cd (Change Directory): Navigates between directories.

  • Example: $ cd my_folder

• cat (Concatenate): Displays file contents.

  • Example: $ cat my_file.txt

• echo: Displays text.

  • $ echo "Hello World"

  • $ echo "Append this" >> my_file.txt (appends text)

  • $ echo "Overwrite" > my_file.txt (overwrites content)

• ls (List): Lists files and directories.

  • $ ls (lists current directory)

  • $ ls -l (lists with detailed information)

• pwd (Print Working Directory): Displays the current directory path.

  • $ pwd

Absolute and Relative Filenames:

• Absolute: Full path from the root (/).

  • Example: /home/user/my_folder/my_file.txt

• Relative: Path relative to the current directory.

  • Example: my_folder/my_file.txt (if you're in /home/user/)

Step-by-Step Guide with Output:

1. Create a Directory:

$ mkdir test_dir

1. Navigate into the Directory:

$ cd test_dir

1. Create a File:

$ touch example.txt

1. Add Text to a File:

$ echo "This is a test" > example.txt

$ echo "Adding more text" >> example.txt

1. View File Contents:

$ cat example.txt

Output: This is a test Adding more text

• List files in the current directory:

$ ls

	Output: example.txt

• List files in long format:

$ ls -l

Output (example): -rw-r--r-- 1 user user 31 Aug 15 10:00 example.txt

• Display current working directory:

$ pwd

Output (example): /home/user/test_dir

• Navigate Back:

$ cd ..

• Absolute Path Example:

$ cat /home/user/test_dir/example.txt

Output: This is a test Adding more text

Practice Question:

• You are in your home directory (~).

  1. Create a directory named "documents".

  2. Navigate into "documents".

  3. Create a file named "report.txt".

  4. Add the line "This is my report." to "report.txt".

  5. Return to your home directory.

  6. Use ls -l and the absolute path to display detailed information about "report.txt".

  7. use cat and the relative path to display the content of report.txt from your home directory.

Suggested Answer/Framework:

1. $ mkdir documents

2. $ cd documents

3. $ touch report.txt

4. $ echo "This is my report." > report.txt

5. $ cd ..

6. $ ls -l /home/user/documents/report.txt (Replace /home/user/ with your actual home directory path.)

   • Output (example):

     -rw-r--r-- 1 user user 18 Aug 15 10:15 /home/user/documents/report.txt

7. $ cat documents/report.txt

   • Output:

     This is my report.