As software engineers, it is essential to maintain an organized file structure on our machines. We should avoid saving files in random locations, as it can lead to difficulty in finding them later.
Being organized demonstrates our proficiency and comfort with the work we do. Seasoned professionals can efficiently navigate the command-line interface (CLI) and access the necessary directories to begin their work promptly. In contrast, beginners may struggle to locate files they have saved.
This lesson covers how to set up your file structure & workspace for this course.
How To Set Up Your Course File Structure
To counteract this, you will set up a workspace containing all your work for this course. This way, you will always know where to go and where to find your work.
1) Open the CLI
2) Change Directory
Change directories into your Documents folder
$ cd ~/Documents
3) Create CodingNomads Directory
Create a new directory named "CodingNomads" (if you don't have one already from previous courses)
$ mkdir CodingNomads
4) Change to CodingNomads Directory
Move into the "CodingNomads" directory
Hint: Remember the tab trick? Try typing only "cd Co", then hitting the tab key. This auto-complete can save a ton of time moving around the terminal!
$ cd CodingNomads
5) Create Spring Directory
Within this directory, create a new directory titled "Spring"
$ mkdir Spring
6) Change to Spring Directory
Move into that new directory
$ cd Spring
7) Create Labs Directory
Within the "Spring" directory, create a new directory titled "labs"
$ mkdir labs
Finalized Project Structure
Now you have your course home folder! Moving forward, place all your work related to this course in the "~/Documents/CodingNomads/Spring" directory or one of its subdirectories. You can create as many new directories as you choose. Just try your best to stay organized and have it all make crystal-clear sense. You want to know where your files are without having to fumble around and guess.
On the next page, you will be prompted to clone the programming labs for this course. Please clone the labs project into your ~/Documents/CodingNomads/Spring/labs directory.
Summary: Course File Structure
In this lesson:
- You created a new directory called CodingNomads.
- Inside the CodingNomads directory, you created a new directory called Spring.
- Inside the Spring directory, you created a new directory called labs. This will be your course home folder.