mv (move and rename) in Linux CLI - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to move the file named file1.txt to the directory backup/.

Linux CLI

mv file1.txt [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Afile1.txt

Bfile2.txt

C/home/user

Dbackup/

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the same filename as destination does not move the file.

Specifying a filename instead of a directory when intending to move into a folder.

The mv command moves the file file1.txt into the directory backup/.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to rename the file report.txt to summary.txt in the current directory.

Linux CLI

mv [1] summary.txt

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Areport.txt

Bsummary

Creport

Dsummary.txt

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Swapping the source and destination names.

Omitting the file extension.

To rename a file, use mv with the current filename as the first argument and the new filename as the second.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to move data.csv into the directory /archive.

Linux CLI

mv data.csv [1]archive

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A~

B/

C-

D.

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Missing slash causes the command to look for a file named 'data.csvarchive'.

Using tilde ~ incorrectly when not referring to home directory.

To specify an absolute directory path, use a leading slash /. Here, /archive is the archive directory in the root, and the slash properly separates the source filename from the destination path.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to move notes.txt to the directory docs and rename it to meeting.txt.

Linux CLI

mv notes.txt [1]/[2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Adocs

Bnotes.txt

Cmeeting.txt

Dbackup

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the old filename instead of the new one.

Using a wrong directory name.

The command moves notes.txt into the docs directory and renames it to meeting.txt by specifying the new path and filename.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to rename all files with extension .txt in the current directory by moving them to texts folder and changing their extension to .bak using a loop.

Linux CLI

for file in *.txt; do mv [1] [2]/$[3].bak; done

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Afile

Btexts

Cfile%.txt

Dfiles

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using wrong variable names.

Not removing the .txt extension before adding .bak.

Using incorrect directory name.

The loop moves each .txt file to the texts directory and renames it by removing the .txt extension and adding .bak instead.

Practice

1. What does the mv command do in Linux?

easy

A. Copies files and folders

B. Lists files and folders

C. Deletes files and folders

D. Moves or renames files and folders

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of mv

   The mv command is used to move files or folders from one location to another or to rename them.

2. Step 2: Compare with other commands

   Unlike cp which copies, or rm which deletes, mv changes the location or name without duplicating.

3. Final Answer:

   Moves or renames files and folders -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   mv = move or rename [OK]

Hint: Remember: mv = move or rename files [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing mv with cp (copy)
• Thinking mv deletes files
• Assuming mv lists files

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to rename a file old.txt to new.txt using mv?

easy

A. mv old.txt new.txt

B. mv new.txt old.txt

C. mv -r old.txt new.txt

D. mv old.txt -n new.txt

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand basic mv syntax

   The syntax is mv source destination. To rename, source is old name, destination is new name.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   mv old.txt new.txt correctly uses mv old.txt new.txt. mv new.txt old.txt reverses source and destination. Options A and D use invalid options.

3. Final Answer:

   mv old.txt new.txt -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   mv source destination = rename [OK]

Hint: Syntax: mv oldname newname to rename [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping source and destination
• Using invalid options like -r or -n
• Confusing mv with cp syntax

3. Given the commands:
mkdir testdir
touch file1.txt
mv file1.txt testdir/
What will be the result?

medium

A. Error: testdir does not exist

B. file1.txt is moved inside testdir folder

C. A new file named testdir is created

D. file1.txt is renamed to testdir

Solution

1. Step 1: Create directory and file

   mkdir testdir creates a folder named testdir. touch file1.txt creates an empty file named file1.txt.

2. Step 2: Move file into directory

   mv file1.txt testdir/ moves file1.txt into the folder testdir, keeping the same name.

3. Final Answer:

   file1.txt is moved inside testdir folder -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   mv file to folder = move inside folder [OK]

Hint: mv file folder/ moves file inside folder [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking mv renames file to folder name
• Assuming mv creates new files
• Believing error occurs if folder exists

4. What is wrong with this command if you want to rename file.txt to document.txt but get an error?
mv file.txt document.txt/

medium

A. Trailing slash after document.txt treats it as a directory

B. Missing -r option to rename files

C. Source file does not exist

D. mv cannot rename files

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the command

   The command has document.txt/ with a trailing slash, which means it expects a directory named document.txt.

2. Step 2: Understand error cause

   If document.txt is not a directory, mv will error because it cannot move file.txt into a non-existent directory.

3. Final Answer:

   Trailing slash after document.txt treats it as a directory -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Trailing slash means directory, causes error if not directory [OK]

Hint: No slash after filename when renaming [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding slash after new filename
• Thinking -r is needed to rename
• Assuming mv cannot rename files

5. You want to move all .txt files from folder1 to folder2 but avoid overwriting existing files in folder2. Which command should you use?

hard

A. mv -f folder1/*.txt folder2/

B. mv folder1/*.txt folder2/

C. mv -i folder1/*.txt folder2/

D. mv -r folder1/*.txt folder2/

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the goal

   You want to move all .txt files but be prompted before overwriting existing files in folder2.

2. Step 2: Choose correct option

   The -i option asks for confirmation before overwriting. mv -i folder1/*.txt folder2/ uses mv -i correctly. mv folder1/*.txt folder2/ moves without prompt. mv -f folder1/*.txt folder2/ forces overwrite. mv -r folder1/*.txt folder2/ is invalid for files.

3. Final Answer:

   mv -i folder1/*.txt folder2/ -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use -i to prompt before overwrite [OK]

Hint: Use mv -i to confirm before overwrite [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using -f which forces overwrite
• Forgetting -i and overwriting silently
• Using -r which is for directories