Using CSH & Tcsh (Nutshell Handbooks) [Paperback]

Paul DuBois (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nutshell Handbooks | Publication Date: July 8, 1995

If you use UNIX, you probably use csh to type commands even if you've never heard of it. It's the standard shell (command line) on most UNIX systems. tcsh is an enhanced version that's freely available and highly recommended.

Using csh & tcsh describes from the beginning how to use these shells interactively. More important, it shows how to get your work done faster with less typing. Even if you've used UNIX for years, techniques described in this book can make you more efficient.

You'll learn how to:

• Make your prompt tell you where you are (no more pwd)
• Use what you've typed before (history)
• Type long command lines with very few keystrokes (command and filename completion)
• Remind yourself of filenames when in the middle of typing a command
• Edit a botched command instead of retyping it

This book does not cover programming or script writing in csh or tcsh because the tasks are better done with a different shell, such as sh (the Bourne shell) or a language like Perl.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

If you use UNIX, you probably use csh to type commands even if you've never heard of it. It's the standard shell (command line) on most UNIX systems. tcsh is an enhanced version that's freely available and highly recommended. Using csh & tcsh describes from the beginning how to use these shells interactively. More important, it shows how to get your work done faster with less typing. Even if you've used UNIX for years, techniques described in this book can make you more efficient. You'll learn how to: Make your prompt tell you where you are (no more pwd) Use what you've typed before (history) Type long command lines with very few keystrokes (command and filename completion) Remind yourself of filenames when in the middle of typing a command Edit a botched command instead of retyping it Let the computer correct command spelling for you This book does not cover programming or script writing in csh or tcsh because the tasks are better done with a different shell, such as sh (the Bourne shell) or a language like Perl.

From the Back Cover

If you use UNIX, you probably use csh to type commands, even if you've never heard it. It's the standard shell (command line) on most UNIX systems. tcsh is an enhanced version of csh that's freely available and highly recommended. Using csh & tcsh describes how to use these shells interactively from the beginning. More importantly, it shows how to get more work done with less typing. Even if you've used UNIX for years, the techniques described in this book can make you more efficient. You'll learn how to make your prompt tell you where you are (no more pwd), use what you've typed before (history), type long command lines with very few keystrokes (command and filename completion), remind yourself of filenames when in the middle of typing a command, edit a botched command instead of retyping it, and let the computer correct command spelling for you. This book does not cover programming or script writing in csh or tsch because these tasks are better done with a different shell, such as sh (the Bourne shell) or a language like Perl.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (July 8, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565921321
• ISBN-13: 978-1565921320
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #761,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Computers & Technology > Operating Systems > Unix > Shell

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I can explain the wide disparity in reviews of this book!, October 9, 2000

By 

R. E. Bradley "Rob" (Garden City, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Using CSH & Tcsh (Nutshell Handbooks) (Paperback)

The five reviews of this book that have come in ahead of mine range from 1 star to 5! The reason is simple, but the people panning the book didn't explain (or understand?) the problem very well.

Here's the dope: a Unix shell is both an interactive command interpreter, and an environment for writing scripts, which are basically programs using the interactive commands and some logical control structures to automate tasks that don't really need to be run interactively.

The author of this book, Paul Dubois, is of the opinion that neither csh nor tcsh are appropriate environments for shell scripting. I happen to disagree with him, at least insofar as I teach a little shell scripting in tcsh in my sophomore level software course. However, his opinion is worthy...making the argument that csh and tcsh shouldn't be used for shell scripting. Dubois recommends sh and perl for scripting.

So it boils down to this: this is an excellent book for learning how to make the most of the interactive environment of csh and tcsh. It's loaded with neat tricks and good insights. And it's a particularly good reference for tcsh, which usually gets little mention in other books.

If, on the other hand, you want a book about shell scripting, save your money: THIS IS NOT THE BOOK FOR YOU. It has no material on shell scripting.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Type Less, Accomplish More" is right!, December 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Using CSH & Tcsh (Nutshell Handbooks) (Paperback)

This is the book I wish I had found years ago. It is a no-nonsense approach to using a Unix utility that few people exploit to its full potential. I've often thought in the past, while performing some tedious, repetitive task: "There's *got* to be a better way to do this!" Paul DuBois' book has shown me how.

One thing I particularly like about his approach is that he doesn't try to sell csh as some kind of "mega language" that can be adapted to all scripting tasks. Its states explicitly on the back cover: "This book does not cover programming or script writing in csh or tcsh because these tasks are better done with a different shell, such as sh (the Bourne shell) or a language like Perl." The emphasis is on interactive use, an area in which tcsh shines.

Speaking of tcsh, I appreciate that the author comes right out in Chapter 1, pg. 5 and says: "I recommend you make tcsh your login shell for daily work. tcsh is more powerful and convenient than csh, and can help you get your work done more effectively." The first book I bought on this subject ("Unix C Shell Field Guide") didn't even mention the extended features of tcsh, and it went into *way* more scripting examples than I cared to read (i.e., the Swiss Army knife approach to csh). I was just looking for a way to minimize my typing and maximize productivity, like the Unix wizards I used to see hanging around the computer labs in college.

I remember watching those guys and being amazed at the pages and pages of data that would scroll by as they calmly typed in keystrokes. I thought they must be typing a mile-a-minute to be getting all that output, but they never broke a sweat. It was almost like watching a jazz musician or something; they made it look so--effortless! Now I know why. They weren't typing nearly as much as I thought. They'd merely mastered the ins and outs of using their shell to streamline their work.

That's exactly the focus of "csh & tcsh": how to "Type Less, Accomplish More". If you use unix daily, and haven't already mastered a shell that works for you, this book is a great place to start. I finally "get it" now, finally understand why your shell is your best friend in unix, and becomes very much like a custom-tailored suit.

The only caveats I have in recommending the book are: 1) if you're already very adept at using ksh, bash or some other feature-rich shell, you probably need it less than I did, and 2) if you don't have the option of using tcsh on your system, it'll probably depress you to no end!

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars worthless, utterly worthless, September 3, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (albuquerque) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Using CSH & Tcsh (Nutshell Handbooks) (Paperback)

This is an example of an author who didn't finish his work. This book's title verb "Using.." is misleading to say the least. There is not one iota of coverage in here about shell scripting constructs like control flow! This means you will not learn about: while, switch, if-then-else, break, continue, goto, and the like in here. If one uses a shell, s/he would most assuredly need to learn the control constructs so as to write loops, test variables,and the like. The author says [in private email] that in so many words, he is a fan of Tom Christianen who once wrote that c shell programming is considered harmful. How else would one pass some complex test across all files in a dir, for example? I need to do such things regularly. What does Mr Dubois recommend for these needs? Jump into sh/bash, do it the correct way, then exit back into csh/tcsh? I don't think so. Why didn't he include the whole picture, and let each choose what s/he found useful, instead of censoring out what he didn't like about the features of these shells?! If Mr Dubois couldn't, or wouldn't explain the full feature matrix of these shells, why even write a book about csh/tcsh?!? Maybe he doesn't really know the material fully, or else didn't have time to fully research and try out the full power that these shells give one. Why didn't he just write a book about ksh, bash, or something else that he really knows about or approves entirely about?! I purchased the book over the net, and was unaware that the author stated on the rear cover that no programming constructs were covered. I didn't have the luck to peruse the book at a local store first, lest I would have passed on it. caveat emptor