INFO 5001 Application Modeling and Design - Instructions & Guides

macOS Terminal Guide with Oh My Zsh

This guide will help you set up and effectively use the Terminal application on macOS with Oh My Zsh for an improved command-line experience.

Getting Started with Terminal

Opening Terminal

1. Click on the Spotlight search icon (magnifying glass) in the top-right corner of your screen
2. Type Terminal and press Enter
3. Alternatively, navigate to Applications > Utilities > Terminal

Basic Terminal Commands

Command	Description	Example
pwd	Print working directory (current location)	pwd
ls	List files and directories	ls -la (show all files with details)
cd	Change directory	cd Documents or cd .. (go up one level)
mkdir	Create a new directory	mkdir projects
rm	Remove files	rm filename.txt
rmdir	Remove empty directory	rmdir emptydir
touch	Create an empty file	touch newfile.txt
cp	Copy files	cp file.txt Documents/
mv	Move or rename files	mv file.txt newname.txt
cat	Display file contents	cat file.txt
clear	Clear terminal screen	clear
history	Show command history	history

Setting Up Oh My Zsh

Oh My Zsh is an open-source framework for managing your Zsh configuration that comes with helpful functions, plugins, themes, and more.

Prerequisites

1. Make sure you have Zsh installed (default shell in macOS Catalina and newer):

   zsh --version
   

2. Install Homebrew if you don’t have it:

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
   

Installing Oh My Zsh

1. Install Oh My Zsh using curl:

   sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"
   

2. After installation, your terminal will automatically restart with Oh My Zsh active

Customizing Oh My Zsh

1. Edit your configuration file:

   nano ~/.zshrc
   

2. Change the theme by modifying the ZSH_THEME line:

   # Popular themes: robbyrussell, agnoster, avit, bira
   ZSH_THEME="robbyrussell"
   

3. Add plugins by modifying the plugins line:

   plugins=(git vscode brew macos)
   

4. Save changes and apply them:

   source ~/.zshrc
   

Popular Oh My Zsh Plugins

• git: Provides aliases and functions for Git
• vscode: Adds commands to open VS Code
• brew: Adds completion for Homebrew commands
• macos: Provides macOS-specific commands
• z: Quickly jump between directories using ‘frecency’

Terminal Productivity Tips

Command Shortcuts

• Up/Down arrows: Navigate through command history
• Ctrl+A: Move cursor to beginning of line
• Ctrl+E: Move cursor to end of line
• Ctrl+U: Clear line before cursor
• Ctrl+K: Clear line after cursor
• Ctrl+R: Search command history
• Tab: Auto-complete commands and file paths

Creating Aliases

Add custom shortcuts by editing your ~/.zshrc file:

# Example aliases
alias gs="git status"
alias gc="git commit -m"
alias ll="ls -la"

Environment Variables

To add permanent environment variables:

1. Edit your ~/.zshrc file:

   nano ~/.zshrc
   

2. Add export statements:

   export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home)
   export PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin
   

3. Apply changes:

   source ~/.zshrc
   

Additional Resources

• Oh My Zsh Documentation
• Terminal User Guide for Mac
• Zsh Documentation

---

Last updated: May 4, 2025