The `ls` command is hard-wired into your brain, how to make it work in windows?

frankie -

What I generally do is to create a folder with my personal commands, then I add that folder to the PATH.

To change the “environment variables” for your account just search for “environment” on the start menu. The window will look a bit like this:

obfuscated extras to focus on essentials variables, notice how PATH now has %FRANKIE_SHELL%

Then it’s simply a matter of creating *.bat files with the desired names.

For instance you can save a ls.bat file with just this content:

dir
when you issue the command ls, windows will run ls.bat which in turn runs the dir command

And you can also save an ll.bat pointing to ls.bat.

ls
having a ll.bat file creates another shortcut

When you run it the output will be something like this:

a cascade of commands, ll.bat calls ls.bat that calls dir

You could also save a home.bat file that will change your directory to wherever you say “home” is. Any command you find yourself using repeatedly goes there.

Say, for instance, that you never know if it’s whereis (linux) or where (windows), just save yourself a whereis.bat file on the commands folder with the following:

where %1
whereis.bat

And now, if you run it:

now both whereis and where work in windows!

From personal shortcuts to commands that have different syntax in Windows and Linux, anything .bat file can be created to make your life easier.