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Command Line Basics

This placeholder guide will introduce staff and student workers to the command line in small, practical steps. It is meant to support future Archives workflows that benefit from basic terminal use without assuming prior experience.

Goal

Create a beginner-friendly reference for the small set of command-line skills that are most useful in Archives processing work.

Planned Topics

  • what the command line is and when Archives workflows use it
  • the difference between PowerShell, Command Prompt, and WSL
  • how to open the right shell for a task
  • moving between folders with cd
  • listing files and folders
  • copying file paths
  • running simple commands safely
  • understanding prompts, pasted commands, and command output

Placeholder Starter Concepts

The full guide should eventually explain:

  1. How to tell which shell you are in.
  2. How to navigate to a working folder.
  3. How to run a command from copied instructions.
  4. How to recognize the difference between a command, a file path, and output text.
  5. When to stop and ask for help instead of guessing.

Example Beginner Commands

These are starter examples only:

  • pwd: show the current folder
  • cd: change folders
  • ls: list files and folders
  • mkdir: create a folder
  • Get-ChildItem: PowerShell file listing
  • Get-FileHash: generate a checksum in PowerShell

Intended Audience

  • student workers with little or no terminal experience
  • staff following documented workflows that occasionally require shell commands
  • anyone who needs a basic introduction before using WSL or PowerShell in Archives workflows

Future Additions

  • screenshots of PowerShell and WSL windows
  • examples tied to real Archives workflows
  • “copy and paste exactly” beginner exercises
  • a quick glossary for shell, terminal, prompt, path, and command