Test is a file or directory (named Test) that is a sibling of the current directory. This directory is used for navigating up one level towards the top of the directory hierarchy.įor example, the path. directory (two periods) is a special directory that, when accessed, points to the directory that contains the current directory (called its parent directory ). mytool and press return, you are running the mytool command in the current directory (if such a tool exists).
Osx terminal shortcut beginning of line full#
This value is often used as a shortcut to eliminate the need to type in a full path when running a command.įor example, if you type. directory (single period) is a special directory that, when accessed, points to the current working directory. Table A-1 Special path characters and their meaning Because they are based on context, these shortcuts eliminate the need to type full paths in many situations.
Table A-1 lists some of the standard shortcuts used to represent specific directories in the system. You can change the current directory using the cd command.įinally, the shell supports a number of directory names that have a special meaning. For example, if you type cat foo, the cat command prints the contents of the file foo in the current directory. When you specify a filename or path that does not start with a slash, that path is assumed to be relative to this directory. The shell (along with, for that matter, all other UNIX applications and tools) also has a notion of a current working directory. Its path is /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app.
For example, the Terminal program is in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder at the top level of your hard drive. The directory names that make up a path are separated by forward-slash characters. Most commands in the shell operate on files and directories, the locations of which are identified by paths. In addition, some tools have flags that take flag-specific arguments in addition to the main arguments to the tool as a whole. In that command, the word Desktop is an argument that is the name of the folder that contains the contents of your OS X desktop. For example, to show a long listing of the files on your OS X desktop, type ls -l Desktop and press Return. The -l flag tells the ls command to change its default behavior. For example, you can get a “long” file listing (with additional information about every file) by typing ls -l and pressing Return. Most tools also can take a number of flags (sometimes called switches). To run this command, type ls and press Return. (The syntax for running tools that you’ve added is described later in this appendix.)įor example, if you run the ls command, by default, it lists the files in your home directory. In general, you run command-line tools that OS X provides by typing the name of the tool. Some of these features are specific to OS X, but most are common to all platforms that support shell scripting.
Osx terminal shortcut beginning of line mac#
Note: This appendix was originally part of Mac Technology Overview.īefore you start working in any shell environment, there are some basic features of shell scripting that you should understand. The following sections provide some basic information and tips about using the command-line interface more effectively they are not intended as an exhaustive reference for using the shell environments. The standard shell is bash if you are running OS X v10.3 or later and tcsh if you are running an earlier version of the operating system. Although you can use any shell of your choice, the examples in this book assume that you are using the standard OS X shell. In addition to running individual tools, most shells provide some means of combining multiple tools into structured programs, called shell scripts (the subject of this book).ĭifferent shells feature slightly different capabilities and scripting syntax. A shell is a special command-line tool that is designed specifically to provide text-based interactive control over other command-line tools. Each Terminal window or SSH connection provides access to the input and output of a shell process. In the modern era, in spite of the ability to transmit graphical user interfaces over the Internet, the command line remains a powerful tool for performing certain types of tasks.Īs described previously in Before You Begin, most users interact with a command-line environment using the Terminal application, though you may also use a remote connection method such as secure shell (SSH). Historically, the command line interface provided a way to manipulate a computer over simple, text-based connections.
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