We will cover how to create, read and copy a file which has spaces in their filename.
1) Creating file names with spaces
To create files with spaces in file names, run the command as shown
$ touch'firstname secondname'
For example, to create a file called 'rootadminz docs' use the syntax below
$ touch 'rootadminz docs'
Sample Output: root@rootadminz:/opt# $ touch 'rootadminz docs' root@rootadminz:/opt# root@rootadminz:/opt# ls 'rootadminz docs'
If you want to view such a file with space in the file name, use the same principle of enclosing the file names inside the quotation marks.
2) Read a File with spaces in filename
You can use 'cat' command or open the document using your preferred text editor such as vim, nano or gedit.
$ cat 'rootadminz docs'
Alternatively, you can use the syntax below
$ cat file\ name\ with\ spaces
Let's add some text to the 'rootadminz docs' file
$ echo "Hello World! Welcome to rootadminz" >> 'rootadminz docs'
To view the file execute the command below
$ cat rootadminz\ docs
Sample Output: root@rootadminz:/opt# echo "Hello World! Welcome to rootadminz" >> 'rootadminz docs' root@rootadminz:/opt# root@rootadminz:/opt# $ cat rootadminz\ docs Hello world! Welcome to rootadminz root@rootadminz:/opt#
3) Creating directory names with spaces
To create directory names with space in between use the syntax below
$ mkdir firstname\ secondname
Please note the space after the backslash
For example, to create a directory called 'rootadminz files' run
$ mkdir rootadminz\ files
Sample Output: root@rootadminz:/opt# mkdir rootadminz\ files root@rootadminz:/opt# root@rootadminz:/opt# ls -l total 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 Aug 6 15:54 'rootadminz docs' drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Aug 6 16:20 'rootadminz files' Hello world! Welcome to rootadminz root@rootadminz:/opt#
4) Navigating to a directory with spaces in the directory name
To navigate to a directory with spaces in its directory name, use the syntax below
$ cd directory\ name
To navigate to the directory 'rootadminz files' execute the command below
$ cd rootadminz\ files
5) Copying a directory with spaces in the directory name
To copy a directory with spaces in its directory name to a different location use the syntax below
$ cp -R directory\ name /destination/path
OR
$ cp -R 'directory name' /destination/path/
For example to copy 'rootadminz files' to /home/vyga path execute
$ cp -R 'rootadminz files' /home/vyga/
OR
$ cp -R rootadminz\ files /home/vyga
