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mkdir

summary

    This subchapter looks at mkdir, a UNIX (and Linux) command.

    mkdir is used to make a directory.

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mkdir

    This subchapter looks at mkdir, a UNIX (and Linux) command.

    mkdir is used to make a directory.

make a directory

    Use the mkdir command to make a new directory (folder).

    $ mkdir testdir
    admins-power-mac-g5:~ admin$

multiple directories

    You can name multiple directories with the mkdir command. Simply list each of the new diretcories after the mkdir with a space character between each directory name.

    $ mkdir directory1 directory2 directory3
    admins-power-mac-g5:~ admin$

create with permissions

    Use the -m option to create a directory with specific permissions. The permission chocies are the same as with the chmod command. Replace mode (a=rwx in the following example) with an appropriate mode argument. In the following example, themode is a=rwx, which would give all users read, write, and execute permissions.

    $ mkdir -m mode directory1 directory2 directory3
    admins-power-mac-g5:~ admin$

    This option is often used in shell scripts to lock down temporary directories.

use a path

    You can give an entire path name to a specific directory, using either a relative or absolute path name to create the directory anywhere int he file system.

    $ mkdir directory1/directory2/directory3
    admins-power-mac-g5:~ admin$

    You can use the -p option to create directories along the path. You can therefore, create a series of parent and child directories all at once.

    If you use the -p option and the directory already exists, the mkdir command will continue on through your path and create new directories as needed down to the last one you list.

    $ mkdir -p directory1/directory2/directory3
    admins-power-mac-g5:~ admin$

    Intermediate directories are created with the permission bits of rwxrwxrwx (0777) as modified by the current umask, plus the write and search permission for the owner.

view directories made

    You can use the -v to get a list of the directories created. This is most often used with the -p option, but you can use it by itself.

    $ mkdir -v directory1/directory2/directory3
    admins-power-mac-g5:~ admin$

    $ mkdir -pv directory1/directory2/directory3
    admins-power-mac-g5:~ admin$

    The -v option is considered nonstandard and should not be used in shell scripts.

spaces in names

    To create a directory with space in the directory name, you need to use quoting for the entire name so that the shell treats it as a single name rather than a series of individual directory names separeted by spaces.

    $ mkdir " directory name"
    admins-power-mac-g5:~ admin$

    While it is common to use spaces in file and directory names in graphic user interfaces (such as Macintosh, OS/2, and Windows, as well as Gnome or KDE), this may cause failure with older scripts or programs. Some programs may convert the spaces in a directory name into %20, such as converting " Name with spaces" into " Name%20with%20spaces" . This might cause confusion or failure.

long options

    The long options are:

-m		--mode=MODE
-p		--parents
-v		-verbose
-Z		--context=CONTEXT
		--help
		--version

various operating systems

    The mkdir command appears in the Linix, Mac OS X, OS/2, PC-DOS (also called MS-DOS), UNIX, and Windows operating systems. It also appears in the PHP programming language. In OS/2, PC-DOS, and Windows, the command can be abbreviated md.

history

    The mkdir command appeared in Version 1 of AT&T UNIX. In early versions of UNIX, the mkdir command had to be setuid root because the kernel did not yet have a mkdir syscall. The mkdir command made a directory with the mknod syscall, followed by linking in the . and .. directories.

    The mkdir syscall originated in 4.2 BSD and was added to System V in Release 3.0.

other

    On November 8, 2010, Ramesh Natarajan named this the number 35 most frequently used UNIX/Linux command at this web page 50 Most Frequently Used UNIX / Linux Commands (With Examples).

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