Build a workspace you can trust

By the end: Create, copy, rename, inspect, and remove your own practice files deliberately.

The idea

Work in a fresh temporary directory, not your application repository. The lab creates its own files. Copy preserves the original; move changes its location or name. Deletion normally bypasses the desktop trash. Inspect a path first, and use an interactive confirmation when learning.

Your command toolkit

mkdir

What it solves: Create a directory structure.

mkdir -p project/notes

-p creates missing parents and accepts existing directories. It does not empty them.

touch

What it solves: Create an empty file or update timestamps.

touch project/notes/ideas.txt

An existing file keeps its contents. touch is not a way to clear a file.

cp

What it solves: Make a separate working copy.

cp -i notes.txt notes-copy.txt

-i asks before overwriting an existing destination. Use -r for directories, and inspect the destination layout afterward.

mv

What it solves: Rename a file without duplicating it.

mv -i notes-copy.txt revised-notes.txt

A move can replace another file. -i makes that decision visible during practice.

rm

What it solves: Remove a file you no longer need.

touch disposable.txt
rm -i -- disposable.txt

This removes only a practice file after confirmation. -- ends option parsing. Avoid recursive deletion until you have verified every target.

rmdir

What it solves: Remove an empty directory.

mkdir empty-practice
rmdir empty-practice

rmdir refuses a nonempty directory, which makes it useful for cautious cleanup.

ln

What it solves: Create another path to a file.

ln -s notes.txt notes-link.txt

A symbolic link stores a target path. Here the relative target is resolved from the link's directory; moving the target can break the link.

basename

What it solves: Extract a filename from a path.

basename /tmp/report.txt .txt

Prints report. This edits the path string; it does not access, move, or rename a file.

stat

What it solves: Inspect ownership, sizes, and timestamps.

stat notes.txt

A file's change time describes metadata changes, not creation. Available timestamp fields depend on the filesystem.

tree

What it solves: See a bounded directory map.

tree -L 2 .

Shows two levels so a large directory does not overwhelm the terminal. tree is optional on many distributions.

Before you move on

Try the guided lab below. Compare the result with the explanation, then record your reasoning in the workbook. A missing optional program or a restricted environment is something to explain, not a reason to change system settings blindly.