Aliases

Aliases are a simple way to create short, memorable shortcuts for longer shell commands. They're useful for speeding up repetitive tasks and making commands easier to type.

Quick reference

• List currently defined aliases:
• alias
• Create a temporary alias (current shell session only):
• alias ll="ls -la"
• Remove an alias in the current session:
• unalias ll

Make aliases persistent (zsh / bash)

1. Open your shell config file (for zsh, typically ~/.zshrc; for bash, ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile):

nano ~/.zshrc

1. Add your alias lines, for example:

alias ll="ls -la" alias gs="git status"

1. Save the file and reload the config (or open a new terminal):

source ~/.zshrc

Fish shell

Fish uses a different syntax and has a builtin helper:

alias ll='ls -la'
functions --save ll

Notes and tips

• Quote complex commands. If the command contains pipes, semicolons, or expansions, wrap it in single or double quotes.

• For commands that require arguments or complex logic, prefer a shell function in your rc file instead of an alias. Example (zsh / bash):

  mybackup() { rsync -av --progress "$1" /backup/"$(basename "$1")" }

• Aliases created with the alias command without adding to your rc file are temporary and only last for the current shell session.

• To see where an alias comes from, search your dotfiles (e.g., grep -R "alias ll" ~).

Removing aliases permanently

• Remove the alias line from your rc file (e.g., ~/.zshrc) and reload the shell:

• Edit ~/.zshrc and delete or comment out the alias line.

• Run source ~/.zshrc or open a new terminal.

GMP (project-specific shortcuts)

Here are two example aliases used in my GMP workflow. Put these in your ~/.zshrc or project-specific rc file.

• bts — shorthand for connecting to BTS (replace with the real host or ssh config alias):

  alias bts="ssh bts"

• cpc — connect to the control computer:

  alias cpc="ssh control-computer"

If you use SSH config (~/.ssh/config) you can set Host entries and then use short ssh commands in aliases without long hostnames or options.

Examples — full workflow

1. Add aliases to ~/.zshrc:

   alias ll="ls -la" alias gs="git status" alias bts="ssh bts"

2. Reload your shell:

   source ~/.zshrc

3. Use the alias:

   ll

Troubleshooting

• If an alias doesn't appear after you add it, verify you edited the correct rc file for your shell and that you ran source.
• If a command seems to ignore an alias, check for a function or executable with the same name. Use type name to inspect.

Short summary

• Use alias to create quick shortcuts.
• Put persistent aliases in your shell rc file (e.g., ~/.zshrc).
• For anything that needs arguments or conditional logic, prefer a shell function.