You Don't Need GUI
Graphical user interfaces are super friendly to computer users. They were introduced in reaction to the perceived steep learning curve of command-line interfaces (CLIs).
However, they often require more resources, are less powerful and hard to automate via scripting.
As a computer expert, we want to be more efficient and do our jobs better. We know that command words may not be easily discoverable or mnemonic, so we try to list some common tasks that you might be tempted to do in GUI.
Quick links
- copy a file
- duplicate a file
- copy a directory
- duplicate a directory
- move a file
- rename a file
- move a directory
- rename a directory
- merge directories
- create a new file
- create a new directory
- show file/directory size
- show file/directory info
- open a file with the default program
- open a file in any application
- zip a directory
- unzip a directory
- peek files in a zip file
- remove a file
- remove a directory
- remove all files of certain criteria
- list directory contents
- tree view a directory and its subdirectories
- find a stale file
- show a calendar
- find a future date
- use a calculator
- force quit a program
- check server response
- view content of a file
- search for a text in a file
- search in all files in current working directory, quickly (entire disk in less than 15 minutes)
- view an image
- show disk size
- check performance of your computer
- know whether your computer is under load, and whether it's due to memory or CPU
- poweroff or reboot your computer
- locate USB drives
- unmount USB drives
- format USB drives
- check USB format
- run command on all files of a directory
- Quick tips
- Hotkeys
- I can't remember these cryptic commands
copy a file
STOP DRAG AND DROPPING A FILE, OR CMD/CTRL + C, CMD/CTRL + V A FILE
Copy readme.txt to the documents directory
$ cp readme.txt documents/duplicate a file
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND DUPLICATE A FILE
$ cp readme.txt readme.bak.txtMore advanced:
$ cp readme{,.bak}.txt
# Note: learn how the {} works with touch foo{1,2,3}.txt and see what happens.copy a directory
STOP DRAG AND DROPPING A DIRECTORY, OR CMD/CTRL + C, CMD/CTRL + V A DIRECTORY
Copy myMusic directory to the myMedia directory
$ cp -a myMusic myMedia/
# or
$ cp -a myMusic/ myMedia/myMusic/duplicate a directory
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND DUPLICATE A DIRECTORY
$ cp -a myMusic/ myMedia/
# or if `myMedia` folder doesn't exist
$ cp -a myMusic myMedia/move a file
STOP DRAG AND DROPPING A FILE, OR CMD/CTRL + X, CMD/CTRL + V A FILE
$ mv readme.txt documents/Always use a trailing slash when moving files, for this reason.
rename a file
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND RENAME A FILE
$ mv readme.txt README.mdmove a directory
STOP DRAG AND DROPPING A DIRECTORY, OR CMD/CTRL + X, CMD/CTRL + V A DIRECTORY
$ mv myMedia myMusic/
# or
$ mv myMedia/ myMusic/myMediarename a directory
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND RENAME A DIRECTORY
$ mv myMedia/ myMusic/merge directories
STOP DRAG AND DROPPING TO MERGE DIRECTORIES
$ rsync -a /images/ /images2/ # note: may over-write files with the same name, so be careful!create a new file
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND CREATE A NEW FILE
$ touch 'new file' # updates the file's access and modification timestamp if it already exists
# or
$ > 'new file' # note: erases the content if it already existscreate a new directory
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND CREATE A NEW DIRECTORY
$ mkdir 'untitled folder'
# or
$ mkdir -p 'path/may/not/exist/untitled folder'show file/directory size
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND SHOW FILE/directory INFO
$ du -sh node_modules/show file/directory info
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND SHOW FILE/DIRECTORY INFO
$ stat -x readme.md # on macOS
$ stat readme.md # on Linuxopen a file with the default program
STOP DOUBLE CLICKING ON A FILE
$ xdg-open file # on Linux
$ open file # on MacOS
$ start file # on Windowsopen a file in any application
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND OPEN WITH
$ open -a appName filezip a directory
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND COMPRESS DIRECTORY
$ zip -r archive_name.zip folder_to_compressunzip a directory
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND UNCOMPRESS DIRECTORY
$ unzip archive_name.zipdecompress files of any format
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND UNCOMPRESS DIRECTORY
$ unar archive_name.zip
$ unar archive_name.7z
$ unar archive_name.rar
$ unar archive_name.ISO
$ unar archive_name.tar.gzpeek files in a zip file
STOP USING WinRAR
$ zipinfo archive_name.zip
# or
$ unzip -l archive_name.zippeek files in a compress file of any format
STOP USING WinRAR
$ lsar -l archive_name.zip
$ lsar -l archive_name.7z
$ lsar -l archive_name.ISO
$ lsar -l archive_name.rar
$ lsar -l archive_name.tar.gzremove a file
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND DELETE A FILE PERMANENTLY
$ rm my_useless_fileIMPORTANT: The rm command deletes my_useless_file permanently, which is equivalent to move my_useless_file to Recycle Bin and hit Empty Recycle Bin.
remove a directory
STOP RIGHT CLICKING AND DELETE A DIRECTORY PERMANENTLY
$ rm -r my_useless_folderremove all files of certain criteria
$ find . -name "*.bak" -type f -deleteIMPORTANT: run find . -name "*.bak" -type f first to see exactly which files you will remove.
list directory contents
STOP OPENING YOUR FINDER OR FILE EXPLORER
$ ls my_folder # Simple
$ ls -la my_folder # -l: show in list format. -a: show all files, including hidden. -la combines those options.
$ ls -alrth my_folder # -r: reverse output. -t: sort by time (modified). -h: output human-readable sizes.tree view a directory and its subdirectories
STOP OPENING YOUR FINDER OR FILE EXPLORER
$ tree # on Linux
$ find . -print | sed -e 's;[^/]*/;|____;g;s;____|; |;g' # on MacOS
# Note: install homebrew (https://brew.sh) to be able to use (some) Linux utilities such as tree.
# brew install treefind a stale file
STOP USING YOUR FILE EXPLORER TO FIND A FILE
Find all files modified more than 5 days ago
$ find my_folder -mtime +5show a calendar
STOP LOOKING UP WHAT THIS MONTH LOOKS LIKE BY CALENDAR WIDGETS
Display a text calendar
$ calDisplay selected month and year calendar
$ cal 11 2018find a future date
STOP USING WEBAPPS TO CALCULATE FUTURE DATES
What is todays date?
$ date +%m/%d/%YWhat about a week from now?
$ date -d "+7 days" # on Linux
$ date -j -v+7d # on MacOSuse a calculator
STOP USING CALCULATOR WIDGET
$ bc -lforce quit a program
STOP CTRL + ALT + DELETE and choose the program to kill
$ killall -9 program_namecheck server response
STOP OPENING A BROWSER
$ curl -i umair.surge.sh
# curl's -i (--include) option includes HTTP response headers in its output.view content of a file
STOP DOUBLE CLICKING A FILE
$ cat apps/settings.py
# if the file is too big to fit on one page, you can use a 'pager' (less) which shows you one page at a time.
$ less apps/settings.pysearch for a text in a file
STOP CMD/CTRL + F IN A FILE
$ grep -i "Query" file.txt
search in all files in current working directory, quickly (entire disk in less than 15 minutes)
STOP CMD/CTRL + F IN A DIRECTORY
$ ripgrep -i "Query"
# brew install ripgrepview an image
STOP USING PREVIEW
$ imgcat image.png
# Note: requires iTerm2 terminal.show disk size
STOP RIGHT CLICKING DISK ICON OR OPENING DISK UTILITY
$ df -hcheck performance of your computer
STOP OPENING YOUR ACTIVITY MONITOR OR TASK MANAGER
$ topknow whether your computer is under load, and whether it's due to memory or CPU
$ glances
# brew install glancespoweroff or reboot your computer
This can be useful when you're patching a server that is acessed via SSH and you don't have a GUI.
# poweroff
$ sudo shutdown -h now
# reboot
$ sudo shutdown -r nowlocate USB drives
$ dfunmount USB drives
$ sudo umount /dev/sdb1format USB drives
# FAT32
$ sudo mkfs.vfat /dev/sdb1
# NTFS
$ sudo mkfs.ntfs /dev/sdb1
# exFAT
$ sudo mkfs.exfat /dev/sdb1check USB format
$ sudo fsck /dev/sdb1run command on all files of a directory
STOP CLICKING THE FILES ONE BY ONE
$ for FILE in *; do echo $FILE; doneQuick tips
Hotkeys
Ctrl + A Go to the beginning of the line you are currently typing on
Ctrl + E Go to the end of the line you are currently typing on
Ctrl + L Clears the Screen, similar to the clear command
Ctrl + U Clears the line before the cursor position. If you are at the end of the line, clears the entire line.
Ctrl + H Same as backspace
Ctrl + R Lets you search through previously used commands
Ctrl + C Kill whatever you are running
Ctrl + D Exit the current shell
Ctrl + Z Puts whatever you are running into a suspended background process. fg restores it.
Ctrl + W Delete the word before the cursor
Ctrl + K Clear the line after the cursor
Ctrl + T Swap the last two characters before the cursor
Ctrl + F Move cursor forward one character
Ctrl + B Move cursor backward one character
Esc + T Swap the last two words before the cursor
Alt + T Same as Esc + T
Alt + F Move cursor forward one word on the current line
Alt + B Move cursor backward one word on the current line
Esc + F Same as Alt + F
Esc + B Same as Alt + B
Alt + . Paste the last word of the most recently command
Tab Auto-complete files and directory names
I can't remember these cryptic commands
You can always google or man the commands you are not familiar with. Or, checkout tldr, a collection of simplified and community-driven man pages.