LWM-Linux/06 - Linux File Operations/File Creating, Deletion and Renaming.md

File Creation, Deleting, and Renaming

1. Creating Files

There are several ways to create files in Linux:

- a. Using touch:

The touch command is the simplest way to create an empty file.

touch filename.txt # This creates an empty file named "filename.txt" in the current directory.

- b. Using redirection:

You can use output redirection to create a file with content.

echo "Hello, World!" > newfile.txt # This creates a file named "newfile.txt" containing the text "Hello, World!".

- c. Using text editors:

You can create and edit files using text editors like nano, vim, or gedit.

• nano newfile.txt # Basic editor that comes on most distros
• vim newfile.txt # More advnaced editor
• xed newfile.txt # GUI text editor included with Linux Mint Cinnamon
• gedit newfile.txt # Gnome's in-house text editor

These commands open the respective text editor with a new file named "newfile.txt".

2. Deleting Files

When deleting files in the linux terminal - there is no UNDO! To delete files in Linux, you can use the rm (remove) command:

a. Deleting a single file:

• rm filename.txt

b. Deleting multiple files:

• rm file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

c. Deleting files with a specific pattern:

• rm *.txt # This removes all files with the .txt extension in the current directory.

d. Deleting files interactively (prompts for confirmation):

• rm -i filename.txt

e. Deleting files forcefully (use with caution):

• rm -f filename.txt

Note: Be extremely careful when using rm, especially with wildcards or the -f option, as deleted files cannot be recovered.

3. Renaming Files

In Linux, renaming is done using the mv (move) command:

a. Basic renaming:

• mv oldname.txt newname.txt

b. Renaming multiple files using a pattern:

To rename multiple files, you can use a loop in the shell. For example, to change the extension of all .txt files to .md:

for file in *.txt; do
mv "$file" "${file%.txt}.md"
done

c. Renaming with a backup:

mv -b oldname.txt newname.txt # This creates a backup of the destination file if it already exists.

d. Interactive renaming (prompts before overwriting):

mv -i oldname.txt newname.txt

Additional Tips:

• 1. Use tab completion to avoid typos in filenames.
• 2. Use the ls command to list files and verify your actions.
• 3. Be cautious when using wildcards (*) with rm or mv.
• 4. For complex renaming tasks, consider using specialized tools like rename or mmv.
• 5. Always double-check your commands, especially when deleting or renaming multiple files.
• 6. Consider using version control systems like Git for important files and projects.

Remember that in Linux, file operations are case-sensitive. "File.txt" and "file.txt" are treated as different files.