How to create a directory and copy files into it using wildcards in Linux?

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the process of creating directories and copying files using wildcards in the Linux operating system. You'll learn how to leverage the power of wildcards to simplify your file management tasks and boost your productivity.

Skills Graph

Understanding Linux Directory Structure

Linux has a hierarchical directory structure, with the root directory / at the top. The root directory contains various subdirectories, each with its own purpose and contents.

The Root Directory

The root directory / is the top-level directory in the Linux file system. It contains the following important subdirectories:

• /bin: Contains essential user binary (executable) files.
• /etc: Contains system configuration files.
• /home: Contains user home directories.
• /opt: Contains optional software packages.
• /tmp: Contains temporary files.
• /usr: Contains user-related programs and files.
• /var: Contains variable data files, such as logs and spool files.

Navigating the File System

You can navigate the Linux file system using the following commands:

## Change directory
cd /path/to/directory

## List files and directories
ls /path/to/directory

## Print current working directory
pwd

Understanding Absolute and Relative Paths

In Linux, you can refer to a file or directory using an absolute path or a relative path:

• Absolute path: Starts from the root directory / and specifies the complete path to the file or directory.
• Relative path: Specifies the path relative to the current working directory.

For example, the absolute path to the bin directory is /bin, while the relative path might be ../bin (if the current working directory is /home/user).

Creating Directories with Wildcards

In Linux, you can use wildcards to create multiple directories at once. Wildcards are special characters that represent one or more characters in a filename or directory name.

Common Wildcards

The most commonly used wildcards in Linux are:

• *: Matches any number of characters
• ?: Matches a single character
• []: Matches any one of the characters enclosed within the brackets

Creating Directories with Wildcards

To create multiple directories using wildcards, you can use the mkdir command with the -p option to create the directories and any necessary parent directories.

Example:

## Create directories "dir1", "dir2", and "dir3"
mkdir dir{1,2,3}

## Create directories "file1", "file2", and "file3"
mkdir file{1..3}

## Create directories "abc1", "abc2", "abc3", "xyz1", "xyz2", and "xyz3"
mkdir {abc,xyz}{1..3}

You can also use wildcards to create directories with a specific pattern:

## Create directories "project_01", "project_02", "project_03", etc.
mkdir project_{01..10}

## Create directories "report_a", "report_b", "report_c", etc.
mkdir report_{a..e}

By using wildcards, you can save time and effort when creating a large number of directories with a similar structure.

Copying Files into Directories using Wildcards

In addition to creating directories with wildcards, you can also use wildcards to copy files into those directories.

The cp Command

The cp command is used to copy files and directories in Linux. You can use wildcards with the cp command to copy multiple files at once.

Copying Files with Wildcards

To copy files into directories using wildcards, you can use the following syntax:

cp source_files target_directory

Here, source_files can include wildcards to match multiple files, and target_directory is the directory where the files will be copied.

Example:

## Create some sample files
touch file{1..5}.txt

## Copy all files with the ".txt" extension into the "dir1" directory
mkdir dir1
cp *.txt dir1/

## Copy all files starting with "file" into the "dir2" directory
mkdir dir2
cp file* dir2/

## Copy all files with numbers in the filename into the "dir3" directory
mkdir dir3
cp *[0-9]* dir3/

In the above examples, we first create some sample files, then use wildcards to copy those files into the respective directories.

By leveraging wildcards, you can efficiently copy multiple files with similar patterns into the desired directories, saving time and effort.

Summary

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a solid understanding of the Linux directory structure and the ability to create directories and copy files using wildcards. This knowledge will help you streamline your file management workflows and enhance your overall efficiency when working with the Linux operating system.