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Introduction to the Linux Command Line on Raspberry Pi OS

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Getting Started with the Command Line
Managing Files and Directories
Managing Software
System Monitoring and Management
Networking Basics
Scripting Basics
Working with Git (Optional Advanced Topic)
Final Project: Building a Simple Command Line Application
Resources and Next Steps

Working with Directories

Learn how to create, remove, copy, and move directories using the command line.

By Kevin McAleer,    2 Minutes

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Introduction

Directories help you organize files on your Raspberry Pi. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to create, remove, copy, and move directories using the command line.

Learning Objectives

  • List directories using vdir.
  • Create directories using mkdir.
  • Remove files and directories using rm and rmdir.
  • Copy and move files and directories using cp and mv.

Working with Directories

Listing Directories

The vdir command is used to list directories. For example, to list the contents of the current directory, type:

vdir

This will display a list of files and directories in the current directory. You can also use ls as an alias for vdir.

Creating and Removing Directories

  • Create a new directory: Use the mkdir command to create a new directory.

    For example, to create a directory named Projects, type:

      mkdir Projects

  • Removing Directories: Use rmdir to remove an empty directory.

      rmdir Projects

  • Removing Non-Empty Directories: Use rm -r to remove a directory and its contents.

      rm -r Projects

Copying and Moving Files and Directories

  • Copying: Use cp to copy files and directories.

      cp example.txt example_copy.txt
  cp -r Projects Projects_backup

  • Moving: Use mv to move or rename files and directories.

      mv example.txt Documents/
  mv Projects MyProjects

  • Removing Files: Use rm to delete files.

      rm example.txt

What do the commands mean?

Command Description
mkdir make directory
rmdir remove directory
rm -r remove recursively
cp copy
mv move
rm remove
vdir verbose directory listing

Summary

In this lesson, you learned how to list, create, remove, copy, and move directories. These commands help you keep your filesystem organized and efficient.

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