University of Michigan - Dearborn | Engineering Department

Working with UNIX

Help working with UNIX operating system

Quicklinks

  • Managing files and sub-directories in your directory

    • ls - displays a list of all of the files in whatever directory you currently have open. The ls command can display other information about the files, depending on the options that you choose.
      • ls -s - displays the size of each file in bytes
      • ls -a - displays all of the files in your directory, even the 'dot.files' that are used to configure your Unix environment. Please don't mess with these unless you're pretty sure that you know what your doing.
      • ls -l - displays a listing of files in their long format.
    • cd - used to switch between one directory and another. If you wanted to access the directory that your homepage is located in, type cd www. To get back to your home directory (not www, where your homepage is stored) type just cd.
    • mv - moves a file from one directory to another directory. This command can also be used to change the name of a file, while keeping it in the same directory.