How to use the Command Line | Terminal Basics for Beginners

Summary

In this informative tutorial, Jesse Showalter demystifies the terminal for beginners, showcasing basic commands and dispelling fears of using the command line. He guides viewers through navigating directories, listing contents, and performing operations like creating and deleting files and directories. Jesse also demonstrates how to make a simple HTML file using terminal commands, encouraging practice to enhance proficiency. The video is a user-friendly introduction to harnessing the power of the terminal for both Mac and PC users.

Takeaways

• 😀 Jesse Showalter introduces the video with the aim of demystifying the command line for beginners.
• 🔍 The video covers the basics of using the terminal, including how to navigate and execute commands.
• 💻 Jesse explains how to open the terminal on a Mac, including accessing it through the Utilities folder.
• 🎨 Customizing the terminal's appearance, such as changing colors, is discussed to make the experience more personal.
• 📝 Jesse clarifies the difference between the command line, prompt, and the terminal interface.
• 📚 The script outlines the components of a command in the terminal: program, options, and arguments.
• 📍 The 'pwd' command is introduced to print the current working directory, helping users understand their location in the file system.
• 🗂️ The 'ls' command is demonstrated to list the contents of the current directory, with options to display in long format.
• 🔄 The 'cd' command is used to change directories, allowing users to navigate through the file system.
• 📁 Jesse shows how to create directories using the 'mkdir' command and how to delete them with 'rmdir'.
• 🔑 The importance of understanding directory traversal is highlighted, using 'cd ..' to move up a directory level.
• 📝 Two methods for creating files are presented: 'touch' for creating empty files and 'nano' for creating and editing files with content.
• 🔍 The script emphasizes the practicality of the command line for file management, such as creating, moving, and deleting files and directories.
• 📈 Jesse suggests keeping the terminal open for practice and using it for basic file operations to improve proficiency.
• 🔗 The video concludes with a recommendation to check the description for additional learning resources for both Mac and PC users.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video by Jesse Showalter?

The main purpose of the video is to provide an introduction to the basics of using the command line interface, particularly for those who might feel intimidated by it.

How does Jesse Showalter suggest getting started with the terminal?

Jesse suggests starting by opening the terminal from the utilities folder within the applications, and then customizing the terminal colors to personal preferences.

What is the difference between the command line and the prompt according to the video?

The command line is where you write commands to interact with the computer, while the prompt is a symbol or set of characters that indicates the terminal is ready to receive commands.

What does the 'PWD' command do in the terminal?

The 'PWD' command, which stands for 'Print Working Directory', shows the current directory you are in within the computer's file system.

How can you list the contents of the current directory in the terminal?

You can use the 'LS' command, which stands for 'List', to see all the files and directories in the current directory.

What does adding the '-l' option to the 'LS' command do?

Adding the '-l' option to the 'LS' command changes the listing to a long format, providing more detailed information about each item in the directory.

What command is used to change the current directory in the terminal?

The 'CD' command, which stands for 'Change Directory', is used to navigate to a different directory.

How can you create a new directory using the command line?

You can create a new directory with the 'MKDIR' command followed by the name of the new directory you wish to create.

What command is used to remove a directory in the terminal?

The 'RMDIR' command, followed by the name of the directory, is used to remove a directory from the file system.

How can you create an empty file using the command line?

You can create an empty file with the 'TOUCH' command followed by the name of the file you want to create.

What is another way to create a file with content using the command line?

You can use the 'NANO' command followed by the name of the file to open a text editor in the terminal, where you can add content and then save the file.

How can you navigate back to the previous directory from the current one?

You can use the 'CD ..' command to go one level up in the directory structure, effectively navigating back to the previous directory.

What is a quick way to cycle through previously run commands in the terminal?

You can use the up arrow key to cycle through your previously run commands, which can be a quick way to rerun or edit a command.

What advice does Jesse give for becoming proficient with the terminal?

Jesse advises keeping the terminal open and trying to perform basic file operations such as creating, deleting, and moving files using only terminal commands to become proficient.

Outlines

00:00

😎 Introduction to Terminal Basics

In this segment, Jesse Showalter introduces viewers to the basics of using the terminal. He addresses the common fear of breaking the computer when first using the terminal and encourages viewers not to be afraid. Jesse demonstrates how to open the terminal on a Mac, customize its appearance, and explains the components of the terminal interface, such as the command line and the prompt. He then begins to teach the first few commands, starting with 'pwd' to print the working directory, giving viewers a sense of their current location within the file system.

05:01

📁 Navigating Directories and Listing Contents

This paragraph focuses on navigating through directories and listing their contents using the terminal. Jesse explains the structure of a command, consisting of a program, options, and arguments. He then runs the 'ls' command to list items in the current directory and introduces the '-l' option for a long format listing. Jesse also demonstrates how to change directories with the 'cd' command and provides a tip for auto-completing directory names with the tab key. He further explains how to create directories using 'mkdir', change into them, and navigate back up the directory tree with 'cd ..'.

10:01

🛠️ Manipulating Files and Directories

Jesse continues the tutorial by showing how to manipulate files and directories in the terminal. He starts by clearing the terminal screen with the 'clear' command and then proceeds to create a new directory on the desktop using 'mkdir'. He also discusses navigating into and out of directories, including the use of 'cd ..' to move up a directory level. Jesse then covers creating and deleting files and directories, using 'touch' to create an empty file and 'rm' to remove a directory. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the command structure and the impact of using terminal commands.

✍️ Creating and Editing Files in the Terminal

In this final paragraph, Jesse teaches viewers how to create and edit files using the terminal. He first uses the 'touch' command to create an empty 'index.html' file and then revisits the command to create the same file again, demonstrating the use of the up arrow key to cycle through previous commands. Jesse then introduces 'nano' as an alternative to create and edit files directly from the terminal, showing the process of creating a file with content, saving it, and opening it in a browser to verify the content. He concludes the tutorial with advice on becoming proficient with the terminal by using it for basic file operations and encourages viewers to explore further resources provided in the video description.

Keywords

💡Terminal

The terminal is a command-line interface that allows users to interact with their computer's operating system by inputting commands. In the video, the terminal is the central focus, where the host, Jesse Showalter, demonstrates how to use it to navigate directories, execute commands, and perform file operations. It's a fundamental tool for understanding the video's theme of mastering basic command-line operations.

💡Command Line

The command line is the text input area within the terminal where users type commands for the computer to execute. It's integral to the video's theme as it's the primary means by which viewers learn to interact with the terminal, with the host explaining how to write and execute commands like 'pwd' and 'ls'.

💡Command

A command in the context of the terminal is an instruction given to the computer by the user. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding and using commands to perform tasks such as listing directory contents ('ls') or changing directories ('cd'). The host uses various commands to demonstrate the terminal's capabilities.

💡Prompt

The prompt is the text that appears in the terminal indicating readiness for the user to input a command. It often includes the system's hostname, username, and a dollar sign ($). In the video, the host's prompt is shown as an example, and it serves as a visual cue for where commands should be entered.

💡Program

In the context of terminal commands, a program refers to the executable part of the command that the user is invoking. The video script mentions that nearly all commands have three parts: the program, the options, and the arguments. For example, 'ls' is the program in the command 'ls -l', which lists directory contents in a long format.

💡Option

An option in a terminal command is a modifier that changes the behavior of the program. In the video, the host uses the option '-l' with the 'ls' command to provide a detailed listing of files and directories, demonstrating how options can enhance command functionality.

💡Argument

An argument in a terminal command is additional information provided to the program to specify what it should act upon. The script gives the example of using 'cd' followed by a directory name as an argument to change the current working directory, illustrating how arguments direct commands.

💡PWD

PWD stands for 'print working directory' and is a command used in the terminal to display the current directory in which the user is working. The video uses 'pwd' to show viewers their current location within the file system, emphasizing its utility in navigation.

💡LS

LS stands for 'list' and is a command used to list the contents of the current directory. The video demonstrates the use of 'ls' and its option '-l' to show how to view directory contents in a detailed format, which is a fundamental skill for file management.

💡CD

CD stands for 'change directory' and is a command used to navigate to a different directory within the file system. The host uses 'cd' in the video to switch between directories, such as moving from the home directory to the desktop, highlighting its importance in directory navigation.

💡MKDIR

MKDIR stands for 'make directory' and is a command used to create a new directory. In the video, the host uses 'mkdir' to demonstrate how to create a new folder on the desktop from the command line, showing viewers how to add new directories without using a graphical interface.

💡TOUCH

The 'touch' command is used to create a new, empty file or to update the timestamp of an existing file. The video script includes the use of 'touch' to create an 'index.html' file, illustrating a quick method for file creation in the command line.

💡NANO

Nano is a simple, user-friendly text editor that can be used within the terminal. The host introduces 'nano' in the script to create and edit a file, providing an example of how to add content to a file directly from the command line, such as inserting 'hello, world' into an HTML file.

💡RMDIR

RMDIR stands for 'remove directory' and is used to delete an empty directory. The video demonstrates 'rmdir' to show how to remove a directory that the user no longer needs, such as the 'test' directory created during the tutorial, emphasizing the command's role in file management.

Highlights

Introduction to basic terminal commands for beginners.

Overcoming fear of the command line interface.

How to open the terminal on a Mac.

Customizing terminal colors for better visibility.

Understanding the command line, prompt, and terminal interface.

Breaking down the components of a command: program, option, and argument.

Using 'pwd' to print the current working directory.

Listing directory contents with the 'ls' command.

Using 'ls -l' to list directory contents in long format.

Changing directories with the 'cd' command.

Auto-completion of directory names in the terminal.

Creating a new directory using 'mkdir'.

Navigating back to the parent directory with 'cd ..'.

Deleting a directory with 'rmdir'.

Creating a file using the 'touch' command.

Editing files in the terminal with 'nano'.

Writing 'Hello, World' in an HTML file using the terminal.

Using the up arrow key to cycle through previous commands.

Advice on becoming proficient with terminal commands.

Encouragement to spend more time in the terminal for development.

Transcripts

[Music]

what's up everybody I'm Jesse Showalter

and in this episode I'm gonna be taking

a look at the most basic commands you

can use in the terminal how to get

started in the command line not to be

scared of it it was Daniel Johnson that

left a comment on my channel asking for

a video covering the basics of the

command line and so that's what we're

gonna do today cuz I know exactly how he

feels when you first open up the

terminal it looks scary

it looks sketchy you feel like you're

gonna break your computer but you don't

need to be afraid and here's the first

five or maybe ten we'll see how far we

get commands you can start using right

now okay so we're gonna get started in

the terminal today and to do that I'm

gonna come down to my dock and open it

up if you don't have it in your dock you

can just open up a new Finder window you

can go into your Applications folder and

all the way down at the bottom you

should see a folder called utilities and

you can double click and open up the

terminal you can set different colors

for your terminal I just have mine like

Matthew Broderick or games like black

and green cuz that's how I like it

let's talk about the terminal and what

all this is that you're looking at here

on the screen the command line is the

actual line that you're about to write

on so if I was to right here I'm on the

command line I'm about to put a command

into the computer on that line and it's

gonna do something the prompt is a

common term you'll use when you're

dealing with the terminal and for me my

prompt has the name of my computer and

my username with a dollar symbol

some people simplify the prompt so it's

just the dollar symbol and they don't

need all that information beforehand but

by default this is what it looks like

most likely the terminal is what we use

to describe the program itself when I

open up terminal I get this whole

interface that is the terminal okay

let's talk about running a command on

the command line now but first to do

that we have to know the parts of the

command that you're about to run nearly

all commands you're gonna run have three

parts the program the option and any

arguments that might go with it I know

that sounds really scary really

confusing but stick with me let's run

our very first command

in the terminal and that's gonna be a

simple command that just has the program

it has no arguments or options on the

end of it just the program itself we're

gonna figure out where the heck are we

in our computer we're gonna type the

letters P W D a sense for print working

directory and what we're gonna do is

actually print to the screen where we're

at in our computer where is the terminal

actually almost like a little

investigator he's sitting somewhere in

your computer ready to do stuff we want

to figure out where the heck he is right

now so I press ENTER you're gonna see it

says slash users slash Jesse Showalter

that's the folder I'm currently in

everything that's gonna happen in the

command line for the most part is gonna

be a representation of what happens on

your computer so I can come over here

and open up and you can see that I have

a folder called Jesse Showalter right

that's my standard like Mac OSX like

users folder right and and this is now

telling me where I'm at I'm inside of

this folder so I should now be able to

access any of these folders that are

inside of that directory let's run our

next command in this command we're just

gonna see a list of all of the different

stuff and folders and directories of the

directory we were currently in so

remember if you saw remember our last

command we're inside of my users slash

Jesse Showalter folder we should be able

to see all these other folders how do we

actually see them I'm gonna type the

letters LS that stands for list and when

I press enter you can see I get a list

of all of the items that are currently

there you can see in alphabetical order

those are all the directories that are

you know available to me right now now

that was another just program let's add

a little option to the end of it I'm

gonna write the word type list but then

I'm gonna put a space a dash and an L

and then I'm gonna press ENTER that's

gonna give me a list in long format

that's the argument to the program right

so now I've listed everything out

congratulations you just ran your first

complex program in the command line well

now that we know that we have all of

these directories available to us

let's run another command that will

actually change the directory that we're

currently in into one of the other

directories so I want to type the words

C D or the letters C D that stands for

change directory see how easy the

terminal is so awesome the command line

is so simple so we write C D and that's

gonna help us change directory now we're

gonna pass an argument what directory do

you want to change into well we want to

go from where we're at which is

currently inside of our jessie Showalter

folder and I want to go into my let's

say the desktop okay so I'm gonna write

space capital D and just spell the word

desktop okay now a quick tip you can

spell out a large portion of the word

and just press tab and it will auto

complete the rest of the word for you as

long as it's not confused from other

directories you're about to go into I

press ENTER and now it tells me I'm on

the desktop see my prompt if we zoom in

and look it's telling me that I'm on my

desktop this is why I don't like to

change my prompt because I like that

confirmation and so now I'm on my bet

desktop you could as soon as you get

here to confirm write print working

directory yep absolutely I'm on my

desktop I can then write lists but I

don't get anything because there's

nothing on my desktop how about we make

something on our desktop so our next

command we're gonna actually make a

directory I know don't be scared

we're gonna make a file usually you

would make a file on a Mac just by

right-clicking and writing new folder

right and now we have an untitled folder

there that we can name something but we

don't want to do that we want to use the

command line to make stuff so here we go

we're gonna make something the command

line you can see we're gonna print

working directory first what we're gonna

do is we're gonna write the word clear

and just clear up our our terminal to

make sure it's nice and easy I don't

like looking at all that stuff you can

always just write clear to wipe out

everything you've done now what I'm

going to do is I'm just gonna write

print working directory sure enough I'm

on my desktop and now I want to make

a directory okay how do we do that we're

gonna make a directory by writing the

letters MK dir make directory if I do

that it's saying you can't do that you

need to pass some arguments you got to

pass some options what do you want your

directory to be named you can't just be

saying make directory I don't understand

what you offer me so let's pass it an

argument we're gonna say mkdir that

stands for make directory and I want to

call it test you'll see the minute I

press ENTER we got a test folder that

just popped up here on our desktop we

just made a directory let's um change

directories into that folder so

impressed CD and we're going to go into

the tests and now when we print working

directory girls you'll see that we're

inside of the test directory let's get

out of that directory and go back to the

desktop ah how do we do that we're gonna

press CD and then we're gonna press dot

dot slash that's gonna go one layer up

one level up in the directories all

right it's gonna back out I do that

you'll see that I am now back on my

desktop so anytime you want to get out

of something you can just do dot dot

slash and go backwards yeah if you want

to go out of something and into

something else like for instance let's

go back into to the test directory if I

want to get not just out of tests and go

into the desktop but then I want to go

somewhere else you can do that so let's

say for instance actually we're in a

back up one second we're gonna make

another directory on our desktop we ran

mkdir one called Jesse and now we have a

new directory there and I'm gonna CD

into Jesse now you can see I've changed

directories into my Jesse folder or

Jesse directory okay I'm in there I

don't want to do separate command to go

up and then another command to go into

tests so I'm gonna do CD dot dot slash

and then I'm gonna start writing test

and it knows that it's there and I've

just done that whole traversal into the

test directory like that now I'm gonna

see B one more time and I'm just gonna

come out of here now I've made these

junkie directories I really like my

Jesse one but I don't like the test

I want to get rid of that directory okay

let's do this so we're gonna get rid of

that test directory to make it we put

mk4 make directory if we want to remove

it maybe we'd write RM dir and then the

name of the directory test

ooh we just completely deleted so we've

removed the directory and now we just

have you know the one directory that

we've made sitting on our desktop really

fantastic but what if we want to make a

file inside of that directory what we

can do that let's just CD into Jesse and

now we're going to make a file there's a

lot of ways that you can make a file and

I'm going to cover two quick ways to do

that right now the first one is called

touch it's like you just reached in and

touched a file into existence and you

literally just write the word touch okay

if you're right touch and do just that

it's gonna say man you need to pass me

an argument I don't know what you want

me to touch that was little bit creepy

the way that I said that but if you

passed an argument just like making and

removing a directory you want to write

touch that's the command or the program

we're about to run and you want to name

the file so we're inside of the Jesse

folder let's start a website we're gonna

write touch index dot HTML and we're

gonna hit it and when we go into our

desktop or Jessie file look at that we

have a brand new one here let's let's do

that again so you can see this is

another good lesson I've deleted that

one manually just with my mouse and my

cursor I'm gonna go back to my terminal

and I want to do that same command again

I'm just gonna press up on the arrow key

and that's gonna start cycling through

all of my most previous commands that

I've run so I can cycle through and just

find touch index dot HTML again and hit

it again and bam it made me an

index.html file monk let's do that again

in a different way and actually give it

a little bit of something-something so

first thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna

remove index.html

okay so I've deleted that one and

instead of removing a directory I just

removed the file right so I removed the

file and now I want to make it a

different way instead of touching it and

having like an empty file I want to

actually put something in it so instead

of that program of touch we're gonna run

a program called nano and we're gonna

then name the file index.html and it's

opened up like almost like a text editor

so we can put something so I'm gonna put

a little paragraph actually let's make

it an h1 that's a headline for those of

you that are savvy with the website

making and we're just gonna say hello

world as you know as you always do when

you make a website and that says hello

world okay so it says hello world and

then we're going to exit by pressing

command X and it's gonna ask you down at

the bottom do you want to save this

modified change I'm gonna press yes and

I'm just gonna press ENTER and bam it's

creating an index.html file that when I

open it with Chrome you'll see I have a

whole little world statement inside I

just wrote a website inside the command

line well that's it that's how simple it

is to use the terminal to get into the

command line and start running commands

on your computer this is going to be

different for PC versus Mac but there's

a lot of similarities I'm gonna leave

some links down in the description about

basic terminal commands basic command

line stuff for PC and for Mac and so

please make sure to check out those

resources so you take this kind of

introduction to the terminal to the next

step and actually use it for all of your

stuff it's an awesome thing and you

should spend as much time as possible in

the terminal a little bit of advice if

you really want to learn the terminal I

would just keep it open on your computer

and try to run all basic commands like

creating and deleting of files and

moving files around using only the

terminal and see how you can do with

that you become really proficient and

just running commands and cycling

through them for your development

process I hope that helped you guys I

hope you enjoy the video if you did make

sure to leave a thumbs up and subscribe

to the channel I like to do a lot of

stuff about design and development and

creative stuff just like this

so I hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope

you'll stick around if you have any

questions make sure to leave them down

in the comment section and remember to

check the description for all the links

to the different learning resources I've

put for Mac and PC and command-line

hopefully those will help you guys hope

you guys are making amazing stuff hope

you're designing amazing stuff and I

hope you're a little less afraid of the

terminal I'll talk to you guys next time

[Music]

[Applause]