Lesson 5 of 12 · about 15 minutes · cp, cp -r, mv to move or rename, rm, rm -r and rmdir.
⚡ 0 XP
Step 1 of 3
cp: make a copy
cp from to copies a file: cp menu.txt menu-backup.txt.
Folders need -r (recursive, meaning "everything inside too"): cp -r shop shop-backup.
A backup before a big change is a habit every developer should have. (Git, coming soon, is the super-powered version of this!)
Example
cp marks.txt marks-old.txt
ls
🎯 Challenge: Back up the shop +15 XP
Two backups, please:
Copy shop/menu.txt to shop/menu-backup.txt.
Copy the whole shop folder to a new folder shop-backup in your home (use cp -r).
Try twice to unlock the solution (0/2)
terminalCtrl ⏎
A safe practice terminal. Type a command and press Enter. Type help to list commands. Tab completes names, ↑ recalls the last command.
Files · ~ = /home/asha
📁 shop/
📄 menu.txt
📁 photos/
📄 stall.jpg
Git timeline
No git repository yet. Start with git init.
Checklist
Press Run to check your code.
○
shop/menu-backup.txt is a copy of the menu
○
~/shop-backup has the photos too
○
You used cp -r
Lesson notes (text version)
1. cp: make a copy
cp from to copies a file: cp menu.txt menu-backup.txt.
Folders need -r (recursive, meaning "everything inside too"): cp -r shop shop-backup.
A backup before a big change is a habit every developer should have. (Git, coming soon, is the super-powered version of this!)
cp marks.txt marks-old.txt
ls
Challenge: Back up the shop
Two backups, please:
Copy shop/menu.txt to shop/menu-backup.txt.
Copy the whole shop folder to a new folder shop-backup in your home (use cp -r).
2. mv: move or rename
mv does two jobs with one command:
Rename:mv IMG_0042.jpg rangoli.jpg (same folder, new name).
Move:mv rangoli.jpg photos/ (the destination is a folder, so the file goes inside it).
Unlike cp, the original is gone afterwards — it moved!
Challenge: Tidy the rangoli photo
Your phone saved IMG_0042.jpg in your home. Rename it to rangoli.jpg with mv, then move it into the photos folder. In the end only ~/photos/rangoli.jpg should exist.
3. rm: delete (carefully!)
rm junk.txt deletes a file.
rm -r old-project deletes a folder and everything inside it.
rmdir empty-box deletes a folder only if it is empty (a safe choice).
Warning: on a real computer, rm does not use a Recycle Bin. Deleted means gone. Always ls first and read your command twice before pressing Enter. Here in practice mode, nothing real can be harmed.
Challenge: Spring cleaning
Clean your home folder:
delete the file junk.txt with rm
delete the folder old-project (it has files inside) with rm -r