How to: Create Files in Linux from a Bash Shell Prompt

by Vivek Gite on October 16, 2007 · 23 comments

Q. I'm new to Linux and installed CentOS on my Laptop. How do I create a file from bash prompt without using GUI tools?

A. Linux / UNIX offer many command line tools and text editors for creating text files. You can use vi or JOE text editor. It is a terminal-based text editor for Linux/Unix systems, available under the GPL. It is designed to be easy to use.

Create a Text File using cat command

To create a text file called foo.txt, enter:
$ cat > foo.txt
Output:

This is a test.Hello world!press CTRL+D to save file

To display file contents, type
$ cat foot.txt

Create a Text File using joe text editor

JOE is text editor. To create a file called foo.txt, type:
$ joe -help foo.txt
You will see help menu on screen. Next type something. To save the file and leave joe, by typing ^KX (press CTRL+K+X).

Create a Text File using vi / vim text editor

vi / vim is another text editor. To create a file called bar.txt, type:
$ vi bar.txt
Press 'i' to insert new text. To save the file and leave vi, type ESC+:+x (press ESC key, type : followed by x and [enter] key).

Further readings

• Learn more about joe here : Introduction to the Joe Text Editor
• Learn more about vi here : Download mastering the VI editor pdf version.