The Linux “touch” command is a simple way to create new, empty files. It is also used to change the timestamps (i.e., dates and times of the most recent access and modification) on existing files and directories. You can use the touch command to create new, empty files from the command line or shell prompt.
What is the touch command in Linux?
The touch command in Linux is used to create empty files or update the timestamps of existing files. It is often used in scripts to create temporary files or to check if a file exists. The touch command can also be used to create files with specific content.
How to create a new file using the touch command
The touch command is used to create a new, empty file in a directory. The command can also be used to change the timestamps on an existing file.
To create a new file using the touch command, simply type “touch” followed by the name of the file you wish to create. For example, to create a new file named “file1”, you would type:
touch file1
This would create an empty file named “file1” in the current directory.
You can also use the touch command to change the timestamps on an existing file. This can be useful if you need to change the timestamp on a file for some reason. To do this, simply type “touch” followed by the name of the file you wish to modify. For example, to change the timestamp on “file1”, you would type:
touch file1
This would change the timestamp on “file1” to the current time.
How to change the modification date and time of a file using touch
Touch is a command-line utility that allows users to change the modification date and time of a file. The touch command is available on most Unix-like operating systems.
To change the modification date and time of a file, use the following syntax:
touch -t YYYYMMDDhhmm filename
Where:
-t : Specifies the time in the format of YYYYMMDDhhmm .
YYYY : Year
MM : Month
DD : Day
hh : Hour
mm : Minute
filename : Name of the file whose modification date and time is to be changed.
For example, to change the modification date and time of a file named myfile.txt to December 31st, 2019 at 11:59 PM, use the following command:
touch -t 201912311959 myfile.txt
How to change the access date and time of a file using touch
The “touch” command is used to change the access date and time of a file. The access date is the last time the file was read or written to. The modification date is the last time the file’s contents were changed.
To change the access date and time of a file, use the following syntax:
touch -a file.txt
This will set the access date to the current date and time. To change the modification date and time, use the following syntax:
touch -m file.txt
How to use touch to create empty files
1. Open a text editor on your computer.
2. Type in the following text, replacing “filename” with the name you want for your new file:
touch filename
3. Save the file.
4. Open a terminal window.
5. Type in the following text, replacing “filename” with the name of the file you just created:
touch filename
6. Press Enter.
Your new file has been created!
How to use touch to create multiple files at once
There are a few ways to create multiple files at once using touch. The easiest way is to use the -c option. This will create an empty file with the specified name.
If you want to create multiple files with different content, you can use the -m option. This will allow you to specify the modification time of the file.
You can also use the -d option to set the file’s access and modification times. This can be useful if you want to create a file that’s been modified recently.
How to use touch to create files with specific permissions
There are a few ways that you can use touch to create files with specific permissions. One way is to use the -c option. This will allow you to set the file’s permissions when you create it. Another way is to use the -m option. This will allow you to set the file’s permissions after it has been created. You can also use the -a option. This will allow you to set the file’s permissions and then change them back again.
How to use touch to create files in a specific directory
To use touch to create files in a specific directory, first navigate to that directory using the cd command. Then, use the touch command followed by the name of the file you want to create. For example, to create a file named “file1” in the directory “mydir”, you would use the following command:
touch mydir/file1
This would create an empty file named “file1” in the “mydir” directory.
-How to combine touch with other Linux commands
There are a few different ways that you can combine touch with other Linux commands. One way is to use the -t option with the touch command. This option lets you specify a particular time that you want the file to be created or modified. For example, if you wanted to create a file called “testfile” that was last modified on May 1st at 12:00pm, you would use the following command:
touch -t 05011200 testfile
Another way to combine touch with other Linux commands is to use the -a option. This option lets you specify that you want to change the access time of a file, rather than the modification time. For example, if you wanted to change the access time of “testfile” to May 1st at 12:00pm, you would use the following command:
touch -a -t 05011200 testfile
You can also use both the -t and -a options together to change both the modification time and the access time of a file. For example, if you wanted to change the modification time of “testfile” to May 1st at 12:00pm and the access time to May 1st at 12:30pm, you would use the following command:
touch -t 05011200 -a -t 05011230 testfile