What is the command line?(What is, Concept and Definition)

The command line , also called Windows command line , command screen , or text interface , is a user interface that is navigated by typing commands in prompts, rather than using the mouse.For example, the Windows folder on a Windows command line is "C: \ Windows>" (as shown in image).On Unix or Linux, it can be "%" 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 not use a mouse to navigate.

Why do people use the command line?

Although using a command line interface requires memorizing dozens of different commands, it can be a valuable resource and should not be ignored.Using a command line, you can perform almost all of the same tasks that can be done with a GUI.However, many tasks can be done faster and can be much easier to automate and do remotely.

For example, users who have Microsoft Windows may encounter a task such as renaming more than 100 files in a folder, a task that is time consuming.However, renaming more than 100 files in a directory It can be done in less than a minute with a single command on the command line.The task could also be automated using a batch file or other scripts to run instantly.

Example of doing a task on the command line

For someone with little or no experience with a command line, it can be difficult to understand how the command line is used.Below is an overview to help demonstrate a task performed on the Windows command line and in the Windows GUI.

Move all.txt files to a backup directory on a Windows command line

1. Open the Windows command line.


2. Move to the directory containing the.txt files with the cd command.For example, you can jump to Hope user documents by typing "cd \ users \ hope \ documents" at the prompt.


3. Once in the directory, if there is no backup directory, you can use the md command and type "md backup" to create a new backup directory.


4. Finally, to move all.txt files, you can use the move command and type "move *.txt backup" to move all.txt files to the backup folder.* is used as a wildcard.

Move all.txt files to a backup folder in Windows

For comparison with the above command line steps.Below are the steps on how to perform the same action (move files.txt) in Windows.

1. Open Windows Explorer.


2. Open the drive and the folder containing the.txt files.For example, you can go to the C: drive and navigate to the Users folder, the Hope folder, and then the folder Documents to open documents for the Hope user.


3. Once in the folder, if there is no backup folder, you can right-click the folder, click New , select Folder and name it "backup" "to create a new backup folder.


4. If Windows Explorer does not display the files in Details view, click the View tab and select Details .


5. Click on the Type column to search for files by type.


6. Highlight all the.txt files.


7. Right-click on the highlight and select Cut .


8. Open the backup folder and in that folder right click and then click Paste to move all the files to that folder.

As demonstrated in the previous two examples, performing the same task on one command line requires learning at least three commands, however, once these commands are known, fewer steps are required on one line command 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 file backup process by copying the files instead of moving them.Once the commands have been written to a batch file, double-click the batch file to make the entire copy.

Command line commands

There are hundreds of different commands that can be used on a command line.Remembering all the commands, syntax and options of each command would be impossible, so we have created the pages below.Below are links to our command line Windows, MS-DOS, Linux and Unix command listings.Each of these pages has hundreds of commands with full syntax and examples of how to use each command.

Text interface with menus on a command line

A text interface can be made easier to navigate using menus created with text and extended ASCII characters.For example, many command-line text editors use an interface with menus and softkeys.Shortcut that makes it easy to navigate the file you are editing.The image below is an example of the MS-DOS editor used to edit files on the MS-DOS or Windows command line.

Although a menu text interface has much more visual appeal than the command line, this interface is still considered a text interface and not a graphical interface.

Should I learn a command line?

We strongly believe that you should learn as much as you can about computers to make using a computer easier.Having a basic understanding of the command line while reading this page gives you a much greater advantage than someone who is not familiar with their capabilities.Here are some reasons why you might want to learn more about the command line.

• You need ways to manage files faster and easier on a computer.


• Work with computers remotely.


• Manage files on a file server or web server (for example, manage a web page).


• Need to automate commonly performed tasks.


• You want to learn even more about computers.

Should I use "command line" or "command line" in my writing?

Both the "command line" and the "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 a hyphen ) in your script to help avoid confusion.For example, in the sentence "Make sure you have entered the correct command line parameter." The word "command line" describes a type of parameter.

When used as a noun, use "command line" (no hyphen) in your writing.For example, in the sentence "Open command line".use of "command line" is used as a noun.