Terminal Basics¶

Opening the Terminal¶

macOS: Press ⌘ + Space, type Terminal, hit Enter.
Windows: Press Win + R, type Terminal (or search for PowerShell/Command Prompt), hit Enter.

(Tip: On Windows, we recommend the Windows Terminal app for a better experience.)

Think of the terminal as a file explorer without the mouse.

Where am I?
```
pwd      # print working directory
```

List files/folders

ls       # macOS/Linux/Sometimes Windows
dir      # Windows

Move into a folder

pwd     # Output present working directory
cd docs # Change working directory
pwd     # Output present working directory

Go up/back one folder
```
cd ..
```

Creating/Deleting/Modifying Files¶

Make a new file

touch example.md   # macOS/Linux
type nul > example.md  # Windows (cmd)
New-Item example.md    # Windows (PowerShell)

Open a file in VS Code
```
code example.md
```
Make a new folder
```
mkdir projects
```

Delete a file

rm file.txt      # macOS/Linux/Sometimes Windows
del file.txt     # Windows

Delete a folder

rm -rf folder/   # macOS/Linux
rmdir /S folder  # Windows

Git Basics in Terminal¶

You’ll use Git inside your repos (Avionics, Airbrakes, etc.).

Repo link can be found on the repo page using the top right <> Code green button and navigating to the SSH link

Clone a repo

git clone git@github.com:RaiderAerospaceSociety25-26/srad-flight-computer.git    # SFC Repo
git clone git@github.com:RaiderAerospaceSociety25-26/tracking-groundstation.git  # TGS Repo

Check current branch

git status # Displays modified local files

Create a new branch

git switch -c feat/my-task # Switches to & Creates a branch <feat/my-task>

Stage and commit changes

git add .                              # Stages all current modified files
git commit -m "feat: add servo driver" # Commits staged changes to local history (tree)

Push to GitHub

git push -u origin HEAD # Initial push to publish a new branch
git push                # Subsequent pushes

Running Project Commands¶

Run Python Tools¶

Inside the firmware/tools/ sfc folder there are helper Python scripts (for testing, telemetry parsing, logging, etc.).

First, install Python dependencies (one-time):

cd firmware
pip install -r requirements.txt

Run a tool:

# Example: run the sensor test tool
python3 tools/sensor_test.py

# Example: parse log files
python3 tools/log_parser.py logs/latest.log

(On Windows, use python instead of python3 if python3 is not recognized.)

Tips & Shortcuts¶

Tab completion: type part of a file name and press Tab to auto-complete.
Arrow keys: scroll through your previous commands.
Ctrl + C: cancel a running command.

Clear screen

clear   # macOS/Linux
cls     # Windows

List files cleanly:

ls -la    # list files vertically with extra info

Display File Structure:

tree -L <depth> # depth of 2-3 is recommended to keep output readable

Checklist ✅¶

Can open terminal on your system
Can navigate to your Documents folder
Can create and delete a test folder
Successfully cloned the Avionics or Airbrakes repo
Ran make build without errors

FAQ¶

Q: I get command not found.
→ Means the program isn’t installed (e.g., Git). Go back to the Git Setup page.

Q: My terminal looks different from screenshots.
→ That’s okay—macOS/Linux use bash/zsh, Windows uses cmd or PowerShell. Commands here cover both.