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Viewing and Editing Files

ls​

ls is used to list files and directories.

Syntax:

ls [options] [file|dir]
ls -lt # list by time and with long format
ls -la # list long format including hidden files

vi/vim​

The vi command (short for "visual") provides a full-screen text editing interface to create, modify, and save text files.

Syntax:

vi [options] [file]

Example usage:

vi .
vi file.txt        # Open "file.txt" in the vi editor for editing.
i                  # Enter insert mode to start inserting or modifying text.
:wq                # Save the changes and exit the editor.
:q!                # Quit the editor without saving changes.
/pattern           # Search for a specific pattern within the file.
:%s/pattern/replacement/g   # Search and replace the pattern with a replacement.
sudo vi /etc/hosts # To modify host/add IP-domain mapping

cat​

The cat command (short for "concatenate") is primarily used for displaying the contents of files on the terminal. It is a simple command that reads one or more files and prints their content sequentially.

Syntax:

cat [options] [file...]

Example usage:

cat file.txt            # Display the content of "file.txt" on the terminal.
cat file1.txt file2.txt # Concatenate the contents of "file1.txt" and "file2.txt".
cat > newfile.txt       # Create a new file "newfile.txt" and enter content from the terminal.
cat file.txt >> log.txt # Append the content of "file.txt" to the end of "log.txt".
Comparing vi and cat

In summary, the cat command is primarily used for displaying and manipulating file content on the terminal, while the vi command is a full-featured text editor for creating and modifying text files.

tree​

The tree command is used to list files' hierarchy. Before you start, install it first:

sudo apt-get install tree # linux
brew install tree # macOS

To use tree, run tree in the target directory:

└── translation-memory
    ├── Marketing.tmx
    ├── desktop-docs.tmx
    ├── harvester-docs.tmx
    ├── harvester-ui.tmx
    ├── k3s-docs.tmx
    ├── rancher-docs.tmx
    ├── rancher-ui.tmx
    ├── rke2-docs.tmx
    ├── sidebars.tmx
    └── translation.tmx