I’ve just started my Linux journey earlier this year. As a goal to learn how to self-host applications and services that will allow me to take back some control of my data. Immich instead of Google Photos, for example.
I have a local server running Unraid and 22 docker containers now. And then a VPS (Ubuntu 20.04 LTS) running two apps. I’ve learned a ton but one thing I can’t seem to wrap my brain around is navigation through the file structure using only terminal. My crutch has been to open a SFTP session in Cyberduck to the same device I’m SSH’d to and try to figure things out that way. I know enough to change directories, make directories, using Tree to show the file structure at different levels of depth. But I feel like I’m missing some efficient way to find my way to files and folders I need to get to. Or are y’all just memorizing it and know where everything is by now?
I come from a Windows background and even then I sometimes catch myself checking via explorer where a directory is instead of using CMD or PowerShell to find it.
I’d love to hear any tips or tricks!
I think it’s just a matter of getting used to it. I had the same issue at first and the more I used the command line, the more I started to prefer it to GUI apps for certain tasks.
A couple things that I use all the time:
cd -goes back to the last directory you were in (useful for bouncing back and forth between locations)!$means the last argument. So if youls ~/Downloadsand then decide you want to go there, you cancd !$.:hremoves the last piece of a path. So I can dovim /etc/network/interfacesand thencd !$:hwill take me to/etc/network.Besides using
!$,alt+.on bash copies the last argument into the line you are typing, which might be better if you want to edit it.I’ve used the
cd -several times, it is very handy. the others are new to me so I’ll check it out.I might be wrong here, but “cd” without any arguments works as “cd -” for me.
cdwithout arguments takes you to$HOME, so it’s the same ascd ~interesting, that’s equivalent to
cd ~for meI’ve always used $_ for last argument. I’ll have to dig into the differences.
Fascinating—I didn’t know that one! I’m definitely going to have to read the manual for that.
Nice, I usually do !!:n. This is a lot better.
Nothing like extremely cryptic shell scripts
I don’t use it in scripts, only when typing.
Don’t you use something like
cd ../..orcd ../networks? 😅Not sure if you just misread the commands or not, but that’s a pretty different usecase than what they’re describing.