Step 43: Know How to Use Command-Line Tools ~ Carroll Robinson
This is the 43rd Step towards gaining the Programming Enlightenment series. If you didn’t learn the 42nd Step, read it.
What is Command-Line?
A command-line interface or command language interpreter (CLI), also known as command-line user interface, console user interface and character user interface (CUI).
It is a means of interacting with a computer program where the user (or client) issues commands to the program in the form of successive lines of text (command lines).
A program which handles the interface is called a command language interpreter or shell.
Why use Command-Line?
Modern day development is packed with lot of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs).
Example IDEs: Microsoft’s Visual Studio, Eclipse, Intellij Idea, Android StudioThere is a lot to like about IDEs, as they have made mundane jobs of auto-completion or build process reach within a click.
But, with it’s automation, comes the downside of it. We may not fully understand what the tool is actually doing. A magic button click will build an apk for you inside an Android Studio.
By working with command-line tools,we will learn about what the tools are doing in the background. IDEs are just a well-designed graphical interface for the command-line tools.
In addition, they will also help one perform tasks more easily with command-line tools than with and IDE.
Example; getting logs with logcat, or grepping for some text or using adb or using gradle for building.What are the options available?
There are lot of command-line tools available.
- Linux command-line.
- adb command-line.
- Gradle
TL;DR Don’t just use IDEs because they make your life easier. Try to understand how things are done with command-line tools.
Go to 42nd Step
Go to the 44th path.
References:
- 97 things Every Programmer Should Know ~ Git Book
- 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know ~ Paperback
- Command-Line interface ~ Wiki
- 40 list of Linux commands to know ~ website
- Essential Commands ~ Codecademy
