Boston Python Workshop 4/Friday/OSX terminal navigation: Difference between revisions
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===Practice using <code>ls</code>, <code>pwd</code>, and <code>cd</code>=== |
===Practice using <code>ls</code>, <code>pwd</code>, and <code>cd</code>=== |
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Before you practice these commands, let's make sure you are really at a terminal prompt. Recall that a terminal prompt will look like <code>jesstess$</code> and a Python prompt will look like <code>>>></code>. Make sure you are at a terminal prompt and not a Python prompt; if you are at a Python prompt, you can type <code>exit()</code> on a line by itself and then hit enter to exit Python and return to a terminal prompt. Great! |
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Type each of these commands and hit enter: |
Type each of these commands and hit enter: |
Latest revision as of 22:06, 27 September 2011
There are three commands that we'll be using at a command prompt to navigate the filesystem on your computer:
ls
pwd
cd
ls
lists the contents of a directory.
pwd
gives the full directory path to your current directory.
cd
moves you into a new directory (it stands for "change directory").
Let's practice using these commands.
Open a command prompt:
You can find the Terminal application through Spotlight, or navigate to Applications/Utilities/Terminal.
Practice using ls
, pwd
, and cd
Before you practice these commands, let's make sure you are really at a terminal prompt. Recall that a terminal prompt will look like jesstess$
and a Python prompt will look like >>>
. Make sure you are at a terminal prompt and not a Python prompt; if you are at a Python prompt, you can type exit()
on a line by itself and then hit enter to exit Python and return to a terminal prompt. Great!
Type each of these commands and hit enter:
ls
This lists all the files in your home directory.
pwd
This displays the full directory path to your current directory, which is your home directory.
cd /
This will change you into the /
root directory.
ls
This lists the contents of the /
root directory.
cd Users
This will change you into the Users
subdirectory of the /
root directory.
ls
You should see a list of all the files in /Users
, including the directory for your username -- your home directory.
pwd
This displays the full directory path to your current directory, /Users
.
cd ..
..
means "parent directory", so this command moved you up to the parent directory. You were in /Users
, so now you are in /
, the root directory.
ls
This lists the contents of the root directory, confirming where you are.
- You can use Tab to auto-complete directory and file names. So from inside the root directory, if you type
cd U
and hit Tab, the command prompt will auto-complete the directory name as much as it can. - The command prompt maintains a command history. You can use the up arrow to cycle through old commands.
Success!
You've practiced using ls
, pwd
, and cd
to navigate your computer's filesystem from the command prompt.