Command line The command line, also called the Windows command line, command sereen, — windows Command Prompt Window or text interface, is a user interface that is navigated by typing commands at prompts, instead of using the mouse, For example, the Windows folder in a Windows command line is "C\Windows>" (as shown in the picture), In Unix or Linux, it may be "4" or ">" depending on the shell. Unlike a GUI (graphical user interface) operating system, a command line only uses a keyboard to navigate by entering commands and does not utilize a mouse for navigating Why do people use the command line? Although using a command line interface requires the memorization of dozens of different commands, it can be valuable resource and should not be ignored. Using a command line, you can perform almost all the same tasks that ean be done with a GUL However, many tasks can be performed quicker and can be much easier to automate and do remotely. For example, users who have Microsoft Windows may find a task such as renaming 100+ files ina folder, «very time intensive task, However, renaming 100+ files in a directory can be done in less than a minute with a single command in the command line, The task could also be automated using a batch file or other scripts to run instantly. Example of doing a task in the command line For someone with litle or no experience with a command line, it may be difficult to grasp how the command line is used. Below is an overview to help demonstrate task done in the Windows command line and in the Windows GULMove all .txt files to a backup directory in a Windows command line 1. Open the Windows command line 2. Move to the directory containing the xt files using the ed command. For example, you could move to the hope user's documents by typing "edlusersthopeldocuments” atthe prompt. 3. Once in the directory, ifa backup directory did not exist you could use the md command and type "md backuy tomakea new backup directory. 4, Finally to move all xt files you coutd use the move command and type "move *.txt backup" to move all xt files to the ‘backup folder. The * is used as a wildeard. Move all .txt files to a backup folder in a Windows For 2 comparison to the above command line steps. Below are the steps on how to perform the same action (moving xt files) in Windows. 1. Open Windows Explorer. 2. Open the drive and folder containing the xt files, For example, you could move into the C: drive and navigate down to the Users folder, Hope folder, and then the Documents folder to open the documents for the hope user, 3. Once inthe folder, ifa backup folder did not exist, you could right-click inthe folder, click New, select Folder, and name it backup" to create a new backup folder. 4. If Windows Explore is not showing the fies inthe Details view, click the Fiew tab and select Derails. 5. Click the Type column to brovse files by type. 6, Highlight all xt files. 7. Right-click on the highlighted and select Cut. 8, Open the backup folder and in that folder rightclick and then click Paste to move all files into that folder, ‘As demonstrated inthe two examples above, performing the same task in a command line does require learning atleast three commands. However, once these commands are known, it requires less steps in a command line than in Windows. These same commands could also be used in a batch file or other scripting language to automate the process. For example, you could automatethe process of backing up files by copying the files instead of moving them. Once the commands have been written in a batch file, double-click the batch file to perform all the copying, Command line commands ‘There are hundreds of different commands that can be used in a command line. Remembering all the commands, syntax, and options of every command would be impossible, which is why we've ereated the below pages. Below are links to our Windows command, Tine, MS-DOS, Linux, and Unix command listings. Fach of these pages has hundreds of commands with full syntax and examples of how to use each command, Text interface with menus in a command line A text interface can be made easier to navigate using menus created with text and ASCII extended characters, For example, many ‘command line text editors use an interface with menus and shortcut keys that make navigating the file being edited easier. The picture below is an example of the MS-DOS editor used to edit files while at the MS-DOS or Windows command line.Allough a text interface with menus has 2 lot more visual appeal than the command line, this interface is still considered a text interface and not a graphical interface, Should | learn a command line? We'e strong believers that you should leam as much as you can about computers to make using a computer easier. Having a basic ‘understanding of the command line from reading this page gives you a much greater advantage than someone who is unfamiliar with its capabilities. Below are some reasons you may want to learn even more about the command line + You need ways to manage files faster and easier on a computer. + You work with computers remotely + Manage files om a file server or web server (eg, managing a web page).+ Need to automate commonly performed tasks, ‘+ Want to learn even more about computers Should | use "command line" or "command-lin in my writing? Both "command line” and "command-line" are acceptable and widely used in today’s writing. When used as an adjective before a ‘noun, you should use "command-line® (with # hyphen) in your writing to help prevent confusion, For example, in the sentence "Make sure you entered the correct command-line parameter." the word "command-line" is deseribing a type of parameter. ‘When used as a noun, use "command line® (with no hyphen) in your writing. For example, inthe sentence "Open the command line." the use of "command line” is used as a noun, © 2020 Computer Hope