Linux 101: Create Files and Directories
Create files and directory structures from the Linux terminal. Practice using touch and mkdir, building nested directory trees, working with tricky names, and creating groups of files in one go.
In this Shell Gym, you will learn how to create files and directory structures of your own from the command line, and how to act on a group of files with a single command.
Assumed knowledge: you know what files and directories are, can run commands with arguments and options, can move around the Linux filesystem with absolute and relative paths, and can list a directory and name groups of files with patterns. You do not need to understand file permissions to complete this gym.
What you will learn:
- Create empty files with
touch, by absolute path or right where your shell stands. - Refresh the modification time of an existing file without changing its contents.
- Create single and nested directories with
mkdir, and a whole project tree in one command. - Handle names that contain a space or begin with a dash.
- Preview a pattern with
echobefore handing it to a command that changes things. - Combine listing, patterns, and creation in small everyday jobs.
A session takes just a few minutes and is meant to be repeated over time until you get fluent in creating files and directories.
Train once, and this gym will be added to your Daily Practice. The reps return after 1, 3, 7, 14, and 30 days, until using the commands becomes muscle memory.
Practice in a real terminal
Work in an ordinary shell on a real Linux VM. Shell Gym watches what you do and completes each rep automatically as soon as you reach the goal.
Small reps, focused gyms
Each module groups a handful of short reps around one command or concept, so you can focus on one thing at a time and build the skill step by step.
Spaced repetition, built in
The gym comes back after 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 days, so you revisit the commands before they fade and gradually turn deliberate practice into muscle memory.
Built into Daily Practice
When a gym is due, it appears in your Daily Practice. Pause it when you need a break, or complete it once the skill has become second nature.
Every session on record
Each session records how long you practiced and how many reps you completed, so you can see your training history and progress right here.
Help when you get stuck
Open a hint or follow the live feedback Shell Gym gives you based on what it sees on the VM — just enough to get unstuck without giving away the answer.