Linux create file with text

Create text file and fill it using bash

I need to create a text file (unless it already exists) and write a new line to the file all using bash. I’m sure it’s simple, but could anyone explain this to me?

9 Answers 9

Creating a text file in unix can be done through a text editor (vim, emacs, gedit, etc). But what you want might be something like this

echo "insert text here" > myfile.txt 

That will put the text ‘insert text here’ into a file myfile.txt. To verify that this worked use the command ‘cat’.

If you want to append to a file use this

echo "append this text" >> myfile.txt 

If you’re wanting this as a script, the following Bash script should do what you want (plus tell you when the file already exists):

#!/bin/bash if [ -e $1 ]; then echo "File $1 already exists!" else echo >> $1 fi 

If you don’t want the «already exists» message, you can use:

#!/bin/bash if [ ! -e $1 ]; then echo >> $1 fi 

Save whichever version with a name you like, let’s say «create_file» (quotes mine, you don’t want them in the file name). Then, to make the file executatble, at a command prompt do:

create_file NAME_OF_NEW_FILE 

The $1 is a special shell variable which takes the first argument on the command line after the program name; i.e. $1 will pick up NAME_OF_NEW_FILE in the above usage example.

@Switz: See edit explaining $1. If you replace $1 in the script with «text.txt», it will always use «text.txt» as the filename.

Assuming you mean UNIX shell commands, just run

echo prints a newline, and the >> tells the shell to append that newline to the file, creating if it doesn’t already exist.

In order to properly answer the question, though, I’d need to know what you would want to happen if the file already does exist. If you wanted to replace its current contents with the newline, for example, you would use

EDIT: and in response to Justin’s comment, if you want to add the newline only if the file didn’t already exist, you can do

test -e file.txt || echo > file.txt 

At least that works in Bash, I’m not sure if it also does in other shells.

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How to Create a File in Linux? [Linux Create File]

Do you know how to create a file in Linux? If not, then this article will help you with Linux create file commands.

List of content you will read in this article:

Anyone who uses Linux operating system daily should be familiar with how to create a text file in Linux or Linux create file command. A new file may be created using either the command line or the desktop file manager. You should have been granted writing permissions on the parent directory to generate a new file. If you don’t, you’ll get a permission denied mistake. This tutorial will provide brief information about how to create a file in Linux.

How to Create a Text File in Linux? [Varius Methods]

Now we will explain various methods to create a file in Linux easily:

1. Using the Touch Command to Create a File

We may use the touch command to change the timestamps of current files and folders and create new, empty files. The touch command is the simplest and most unforgettable way to generate new, empty folders.

To make a new file, use the touch command and the name of the file you want to make:

If filename.txt does not exist, the command above will generate it; otherwise, the timestamps will be changed. To make several files at the same time, split the file names with space as listed in the below Linux command.

touch filename1.txt filename2.txt filename3.txt

2. Using the Redirection Operator to Make a File

You may use redirection to take a command’s output and use it as input for another command or file. There are two ways to assign the output to a file. The >> operator appends the output to a current file, while the > operator overwrites it. In Linux, this is the quickest way to make a new file. When using redirection to create a file, you should take care not to delete a significant existing file. To make an empty zero-length buffer, specifically indicate the name of the file you want to construct after the redirection operator:

3. Using the Cat Command to Create Text File

Cat command is mostly used to read and concatenate files, but it can also create new ones. To make a new file, use the cat button, followed by the redirection operator > and the new file’s name. Click Enter to type your email, and then press CTRL +D keys to save the files.

4. Using the Echo Command to Create a File

The echo command outputs the strings passed as arguments to standard output, which can be forwarded to a register. For creating a new file in linux, type echo followed by the text you want to print, and then use the redirection operator > to write the output to the new file.

echo «Some line» > filename.txt

If you want to make an empty file, just type:

5. Using Heredoc to Create a File

Heredoc is a form of redirection that lets you give a command multiple lines of input. This approach is typically used when you need to generate a file from a shell script containing several text lines. To build a new file named filename.txt, for example, use the following code:

cat filename.txt
Some lines
Some other lines
EOF

Variables, special characters, and instructions will all be used in the heredoc’s body.

6. How to Create a Large Text File

You may want to generate a big data file for testing purposes on occasion. When you want to measure the write speed of your drive or the download speed of your link, this is handy.

6.1 Making use of the dd command

The dd command is most often used to copy and transfer files. To make a 2GB file called 2G.test, execute the following commands:

dd if=/dev/zero of=2G.test bs=1 count=0 seek=2G

The fallocate function is a command-line feature that allows you to assign actual disc space to data. The command below will generate a new file called 2G.test with a 2GB size:

Conclusion

Using different commands and redirection, we have learned how to create a file in Linux/Linux create file command using the command line functions. We hope that our described information can help you create a new file in Linux without having any trouble. if you have any other suggestions for creating a new file, you can comment via the below comment section.

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4 Ways to Create a Text File in Linux Terminal

In this Linux beginner series, you’ll learn various methods to create a file in Linux terminal.

In this Linux beginner series, you’ll learn various methods to create a text file in Linux terminal.

If you have used the desktop oriented operating system such as Windows, creating file is a piece of cake. You right click in the file explorer and you would find the option of creating new file.

Things won’t look the same when you are in a command line environment. There is no right click option here. So how do you create a file in Linux then? Let me show you that.

Create file in Linux command line

There are various ways of creating a new file in Linux terminal. I’ll show you the commands one by one. I am using Ubuntu here but creating files in Ubuntu terminal is the same as any other Linux distribution.

1. Create an empty file using touch command

One of the biggest usages of the touch command in Linux is to create a new empty file. The syntax is super simple.

If the file doesn’t exist already, it will create a new empty file. If a file with the same name exists already, it will update the timestamps of the file.

2. Create files using cat command

Another popular way of creating new file is by using the cat command in Linux. The cat command is mostly used for viewing the content of a file but you can use it to create new file as well.

You can write some new text at this time if you want but that’s not necessary. To save and exit, use Ctrl+D terminal shortcut.

If the file with that name already exists and you write new text in it using the cat command, the new lines will be appended at the end of the file.

3. Create new file using echo command

The main use of the echo command is to simply repeat (echo) what you type on the screen. But if you use the redirection with echo, you can create a new file.

To create a new file using echo you can use something like this:

echo "This is a sample text" > filename.txt

The newly created filename.txt file will have the following text: This is a sample text. You can view the file in Linux using cat or other viewing commands.

You are not obliged to put a sample text with echo. You can create an (almost) empty file using the echo command like this:

This will create a new file with just one empty line. You can check the number of lines with wc command.

4. Create a new file using a text editor like Nano or Vim

The last method in this series is the use of a text editor. A terminal-based text editor such as Emacs, Vim or Nano can surely be used for creating a new file in Linux.

Before you use these text editors, you should make sure that you know the basics such as saving an existing from the editor. Unlike the GUI tools, using Ctrl+S in the terminal won’t save the file. It could, in fact, send your terminal into a seemingly frozen state from which you recover using Ctrl+Q.

Let’s say you are going to use Vim editor. Make sure that you are aware of the basic vim commands, and then open a new file with it like this:

What’s your favorite command?

So, I just shared 4 different ways of creating a file in Linux. Personally, I prefer using touch for creating empty file and Vim if I have to edit the file. On a related note, you may want to learn about the file command in Linux that is helpful in determining the actual type of the file.

Which command do you prefer here? Please share your views in the comment section below.

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How to Create a File in Linux

Knowing how to create a new file is an important skill for anyone using Linux on a regular basis. You can create a new file either from the command line or from the desktop file manager.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you various ways to quickly create a new file in Linux using the command line.

Before you Begin #

To create a new file you need to have write permissions on the parent directory. Otherwise, you will receive a permission denied error.

If you want to display the contents of a directory use the ls command .

Creating a File with touch Command #

The touch command allows us to update the timestamps on existing files and directories as well as creating new, empty files.

The easiest and most memorable way to create new, empty files is by using the touch command.

To create a new file simply run the touch command followed by the name of file you want to create:

If the file file1.txt doesn’t exist the command above will create it, otherwise, it will change its timestamps.

To create multiple files at once, specify the file names separated by space:

touch file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

Creating a File with the Redirection Operator #

Redirection allows you to capture the output from a command and send it as input to another command or file. There are two ways to redirect output to a file. The > operator will overwrite an existing file, while the >> operator will append the output to the file.

To create an empty zero-length file simply specify the name of the file you want to create after the redirection operator:

This is the shortest command to create a new file in Linux.

When creating a file using a redirection, be careful not to overwrite an important existing file.

Creating a File with cat Command #

The cat command is mainly used to read and concatenate files, but it can also be used for creating new files.

To create a new file run the cat command followed by the redirection operator > and the name of the file you want to create. Press Enter type the text and once you are done press the CRTL+D to save the files.

Creating a File with echo Command #

The echo command prints the strings that are passed as arguments to the standard output, which can be redirected to a file.

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