Here are a few problems that you might have with files.
- I'm trying to write a file, but I get a “permission denied” message.
- You don't have write permission for the file.
If you're the owner (or root) you can change the permissions;
see
“File ownership and permissions,”
above.
- I'm trying to list a directory that I have write permission for,
but I get a “permission denied” message.
- You need to have read permission for a directory in order to list it, and execute permission in order
to interact with the items below that directory.
See
“File ownership and permissions,”
above.
- I'm having trouble with a file that has a space in its name.
- The command interpreter, or shell, parses the command line and uses
the space character to break the command into tokens.
If your filename includes a space, you need to “quote” the
space so that the shell knows you want a literal space.
For more information, including other special characters that you need
to watch for, see
“Quoting special characters”
in Using the Command Line.