Use the Command Line Interface

Question 1

What are the 6 advantages of using the command-line interface (CLI)?

Answer 1

1. Additional administrative and troubleshooting options
2. More access to the file system
3. A remote login using the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol.
4. Any administrator can run commands as the system administrator (root) using “sudo”
5. The ability to automate repetitive tasks using scripting by applying CLI syntax to a command-line script
6. The ability to remotely administer multiple, even thousdans, of Macs computers simultaneously using Apple Remote Desktop (ARD)

Question 2

What is a shell in regards to the CLI

Answer 2

A program that creates an interface to command a computer operating system.

Question 3

What is the default shell used in macOS Monterey for the CLI?

Answer 3

Z Shell (zsh)

Question 4

What are the 4 ways you can access the CLI?

Answer 4

1. Terminal application
2. Start Mac in macOS Recovery mode to open Terminal from the Utilities menu
3. Start Mac up in Single User Mode
4. SSH Remote login

Question 5

What are the 5 components of this terminal command prompt:

john@Johns-Macbook-Pro ~ %

Answer 5

1. Current user account
2. The @ symbol
3. The name of the Mac you’re using
4. Your location in the file system
5. A special character that provides a hint about which shell you’re using

Question 6

What is the special symbol that macOS Monterey uses in the Z shell? What is the symbol you would see if you were using the bash shell from macOS Catalina or previous versions by default?

Answer 6

Z Shell: % (percentage symbol)

bash shell: $ (dollar sign symbol)

Question 7

What are the four parts of a command string?

Answer 7

1. Command name
2. Command options
3. Arguments
4. Extras

Question 8

What is the command name?

Answer 8

A command that just needs their name to execute, for example: “ls” to display a list.

Question 9

What does the “options” part of the command string do?

Answer 9

Options add conditions, limits, or other modifiers to the command. Options start with two dashes to distinguish them from arguments.

Question 10

What does the “arguments” part of the command string do?

Answer 10

This is the recipient of the command, often specified as a file or folder path.

Question 11

What does the “extras” part of the command string do?

Answer 11

Redirected output, or the commands as needed. They can enhance the capabilities of a command.

Question 12

What are Manual (man) Pages?

Answer 12

Manual pages include detailed information about commands and references to other commands.

Question 13

How do you access and navigate Manual (man) Pages

Answer 13

Type “man” followed by the name of the command.
To Navigate: use the up and down arrow keys to scroll, use the space bar to move down on screen at a time, enter a forward slash then a keyword, then press Return to search through a man page, and to exit the man page, type “q”

Question 14

What are the 5 main elements of a man page?

Answer 14

1. Name (Commands name)
2. Synopsis (formal description of how to run command)
3. Description (more detailed description of the function of the command)
4. Examples (show intended use and options. Not always present)
5. See Also (shows similar commands)

Question 15

What are the 10 other additional elements that may be included in a man page?

Answer 15

1. Options
2. Exit Status
3. Return Value
4. Environment
5. Bugs
6. Files
7. Author
8. Reporting Bugs
9. History
10. Copyright

Question 16

True or False: The command line is not case-sensitive and doesn’t require you to use full filenames with filename extensions.

Answer 16

False

Question 17

What is a path, or pathname?

Answer 17

Represents a file or folder’s location in the file system

Question 18

What are the two types of pathnames?

Answer 18

1. Absolute paths

2. Relative paths

Question 19

What is an absolute path and what does it start with?

Answer 19

A full descriptions of an item location, starting from the root of the system volume.
Starts with a forward slash to indicate the beginning of the file system.

Question 20

What is a relative path?

Answer 20

They are partial descriptions of an item location that are based on where you’re currently working in the file system.

Question 21

Terminal Command for: print working directory

Answer 21

pwd

Question 22

Terminal Command for: list

Answer 22

ls

Question 23

Terminal Command for: change directory

Answer 23

cd

Question 24

Terminal Command for: indicate parent folder

Answer 24

. . (double periods)

Question 25

Terminal Command for: indicate the current user’s home folder

Answer 25

~ (tilde)

Question 26

Terminal Command for: create a folder

Answer 26

mkdir

Question 27

Terminal Command for: run the command with root account access

Answer 27

sudo

Question 28

Terminal Command for: clear the terminal screen

Answer 28

clear OR press “Control + L”

Question 29

Terminal Command for: search for files with the spotlight index

Answer 29

mdfind

Question 30

Terminal Command for: copy items from once place to another

Answer 30

cp (copy)

Question 31

Terminal Command for: update the medication date of a specified item

Answer 31

touch

Question 32

Terminal Command for: move items from one place to another

Answer 32

mv (move)

Question 33

Terminal Command for: permanently delete items

Answer 33

rm (remove)

Question 34

Terminal Command for: permanently delete folders

Answer 34

rmdir (remove directory)

Question 35

Terminal Command for: substitute user identity or super user

Answer 35

“su” followed by the user you want to switch to

Question 36

Which key should you use if you want to automatically complete filenames, pathnames, and command names?

Answer 36

The tab key