Boost Your Linux Productivity with 4 Powerful Command‑Line Tricks

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bd script

The bd utility jumps to the nearest parent directory matching a given name, avoiding long cd ../../.. sequences. Install it system‑wide and enable an alias for interactive use:

sudo wget --no-check-certificate -O /usr/bin/bd https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vigneshwaranr/bd/master/bd
sudo chmod +rx /usr/bin/bd
echo 'alias bd=". bd -si"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Use bd python or a prefix such as bd p to move to the nearest matching directory. Replace -si with -s in the alias for case‑sensitive matching.

https://github.com/vigneshwaranr/bd

cd shortcuts

Common built‑in shortcuts:

cd          # go to $HOME
cd ~
cd -        # return to previous directory

Custom alias for frequent paths

Create a permanent shortcut, e.g. cl, to jump to a frequently used directory:

echo 'alias cl="cd /home/radia/work/linux/linux-3.16.6/"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Multi‑terminal operation with Terminator

Terminator splits a terminal window into multiple panes, reducing mouse usage. sudo apt-get install terminator Typical key bindings (customizable): CTRL+SHIFT+T – new tab CTRL+SHIFT+E – vertical split CTRL+SHIFT+O – horizontal split ALT+←↑↓→ – move focus between panes CTRL+PAGEUP / PAGEDOWN – switch tabs

File editing tools

Typora (Markdown editor)

Install Typora on Ubuntu‑based systems:

wget -qO - https://typora.io/linux/public-key.asc | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://typora.io/linux ./'
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install typora

Vim with pre‑packed configuration

Install Vim and unpack a ready‑made configuration archive:

sudo apt-get install vim
# Assuming vim-config.tar is obtained from the author
tar -xvf vim-config.tar -C ~/
source ~/.vimrc

Key features provided by the configuration:

File explorer toggle – F3 Function list toggle – F9 Pane navigation – CTRL+W h/j/k/l Jump to definition – generate tags with ctags -R * (or limit languages, e.g. ctags --languages=c,c++,java -R) and use CTRL+] to jump, CTRL+T to return.

ctags -R *
# or
ctags --languages=c,c++,java -R

Custom shell commands

cl alias

Define a shortcut to a specific directory (replace the path with your own):

echo 'alias cl="cd /home/radia/work/linux/linux-3.16.6/"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

env_switch script

A sample script to toggle groups of applications for different work scenarios. Save the following as env_switch.sh (adjust the echo statements to actual start/stop commands), make it executable, and source it from ~/.bashrc:

#!/bin/bash
function env_switch() {
    if [ "$1" = "A" ]; then
        echo "A1,A2,A3"
        if [ "$2" = "start" ]; then
            echo "will be opened"
        elif [ "$2" = "stop" ]; then
            echo "will be closed"
        fi
    elif [ "$1" = "B" ]; then
        echo "B1,B2,B3"
        if [ "$2" = "start" ]; then
            echo "will be opened"
        elif [ "$2" = "stop" ]; then
            echo "will be closed"
        fi
    fi
}

chmod +x env_switch.sh
echo 'source ~/env_switch.sh' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

bd script reminder

The bd utility is a compact Bash script (~50 lines) that can be extended or customized to fit personal workflows, illustrating how small scripts can significantly improve efficiency.