Tab Tab Terminal

I have been spending quite a bit of time in iTerm2 the last few days. Sometimes you just have to get your hands dirty and go commando command line. While navigating through a folder structure and trying to find a build script, co-workers Chuck was sitting next to me and offered up a suggestion. He noticed that I would cd (change directory) into a new directory then ls (list structure) to view its contents, rinse and repeat. Next he states,

Dude have you heard of tab tab?

Uhhh no. What on earth are you talking about? Well it’s just like auto completing the folder name, but taken to the next level. All you need to do when you go into the next folder is type the tab key twice real quick. What it will basically do is ls for you but continue the path that you were typing. No need to hit enter, ls to view all the files, then start a new cd path.

Mind Blown!

That tip alone has helped me be way more productive, not to mention multiple shell windows open in split panes instead of tabs with iTerm2. If you spend any time in the command line on a Mac, go download that app. Now!

Anyone else have any helpful command line tips? Please share!