Hey girls, the following steps will show you how to use the black window. This window is also called the "command line", "cmd", "prompt" and "terminal".
Each operating system has a set of commands for the command line. Here is a summary of some useful commands:
| Command (Windows) | Command (Mac OS / Linux) | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| exit | exit | close the window | exit |
| cd | cd | change directory | cd test |
| dir | ls | list folders/files | dir |
| copy | cp | copy file | copy c:\test\test.txt c:\windows\test.txt |
| move | mv | move file | move c:\test\test.txt c:\windows\test.txt |
| md | mkdir | create a new folder | md testfolder |
| del | rm | delete a folder/file | del c:\test\test.txt |
| For more about the above commands, check out the Further Information section below. |
These are just a very few of the possible black window commands. ss64.com contains a complete reference of commands for all operating systems.
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Up arrow - rerun previous commands. You can avoid typing the same commands again by using the up arrow key to rerun recently used commands.
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Tab key - the tab key will autocomplete folder and file names. For example, typing **dir t ** + Tab will autocomplete to all directories starting with t in the current directory (such as task, test, tutorial).
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The exit commmand - this will cause the window to close; it makes sense, right? No need to explain too much ...
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The cd command - this command allows you to change your current directory. To use the cd command you type cd directoryname and press enter. For example if you are in a directory called c:\test, and there were three directories in that the test directory called A, B, and C, you could just type cd A and press enter. You would then be in the c:\test\A.
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The cd .. command - this will take you to the next folder up.
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The dir (Windows) and ls (others) command - this will list the files and directories contained in your current directory. If I typed dir \test or ls test I would see the contents of the c:\test directory. Also note for many commands you can use the * symbol which stands for wildcard. With this in mind, typing *dir .txt on WIN or *ls .txt on other OS will only list those files that end with .txt.
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The copy (Windows) or cp (others) command - this allows you to copy files from one location to another. To use this command you would type copy sourcefile targetfile. For example if you have the file c:\test\test.txt and would like to copy it to c:\windows\test.txt you would type copy c:\test\test.txt c:\windows\test.txt and press enter.
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The move (Windows) or mv (others) command - this allows you to move files from one location to another. The syntax you use is the same as for the copy command.
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The md (Windows) or mkdir (others) command - this allows you to create a new directory. For example md temp creates a new folder called temp in the current directory.
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The del (Windows) or rm command (others) - this allows you to delete the specified file. For example, del test.txt deletes the test.txt file from the current directory.