Use the terminal

Lectra includes a terminal: a text window where you type commands to work with files, run Python, and use Git, all on your iPad. It’s built for Lectra, so it has its own set of commands rather than a full Linux or macOS system. If you need tools that Lectra doesn’t include, you can connect to another computer over SSH.

Open the terminal

You can open the terminal on its own or next to a project’s code.

On its own
Inside a project

Go to Projects

In your library, tap Projects.

Open the New menu

Tap New.

Choose Terminal

Tap Terminal. The terminal opens full screen, in your Projects folder.

The first line says “Lectra terminal — type help for commands.” Type a command, and then press Return. To close the full-screen terminal, tap Close Terminal (the × in the header). Your tabs come back when you open it again, until Lectra quits.

Work with tabs

To	Do this
Open a new tab	Tap New Tab (+), or press `⌘` `T`.
Close a tab	Tap the × on the tab, or press and hold the tab and tap Close Tab. You can also press `⌘` `W`.
Switch tabs	Tap a tab, or press `⌘` `1` through `⌘` `9`.

Each tab is named after the folder it’s in. Closing the last tab closes the terminal.

Where your files are

The terminal sees Lectra’s own storage on your iPad. Your home folder (~) contains:

Folder	What’s in it
`Projects`	Your projects from the Projects tab, including repositories you clone. The terminal starts here.
`notebooks`	Your Python notebooks, listed by title, such as `My_Notes.ipynb`.
`pdfs`	The documents in your library, listed by title.
`.Trash`	Files you deleted with `rm`.

Names with spaces show with underscores instead, such as Lecture_3. You can’t leave Lectra’s storage. A command that tries says “outside the app sandbox”.

Do your work inside Projects. To open a library document or notebook from the terminal, use open, for example open notebooks/My_Notes.ipynb.

Built-in commands

Type help to see a summary in the terminal. The following tables list every command.

Files and folders

Command	What it does
`pwd`	Shows the folder you’re in.
`cd [folder]`	Changes folder. With no folder, goes to your home folder.
`ls [paths]`	Lists files. `-a` includes hidden files. `-l` shows sizes and dates.
`tree [folder]`	Shows a folder as a tree. `-a` includes hidden files. `-L N` limits the depth.
`mkdir`	Creates a folder. `-p` creates parent folders too.
`rmdir`	Removes an empty folder.
`touch`	Creates an empty file, or updates a file’s date.
`cp`	Copies files or folders. Overwrites without asking.
`mv`	Moves or renames files or folders. Overwrites without asking.
`rm`	Moves files to the Trash, so you can restore them. `-r` removes folders. `-f` skips errors.
`trash`	Lists the Trash. `trash restore <number or name>` brings a file back. `trash empty` deletes everything in the Trash for good.
`stat`	Shows a file’s size, type, and last change.
`basename`, `dirname`	Show the last part, or the folder part, of a path.

Read and search text

Command	What it does
`cat`	Prints files.
`head`, `tail`	Print the first or last lines of a file. `-n N` sets how many. The default is 10.
`wc`	Counts lines (`-l`), words (`-w`), and bytes (`-c`).
`grep pattern [files]`	Finds lines that match. `-i` ignores case, `-v` shows lines that don’t match, `-n` shows line numbers. Searches files, not folders.
`find [paths]`	Finds files. Supports `-name`, `-iname`, `-path`, `-type f` or `-type d`, `-maxdepth`, and `-mindepth`.
`sort`	Sorts lines. `-r` reverses, `-n` sorts numbers, `-u` removes duplicates, `-f` ignores case.
`uniq`	Collapses repeated lines next to each other. `-c` counts them, `-d` shows only repeated lines, `-u` shows only lines that aren’t repeated.
`cut`	Picks fields (`-f`, with `-d` for the separator) or characters (`-c`).
`diff a b`	Compares two files line by line. `-u` is accepted.

Open and edit

Command	What it does
`open <file>`	Opens a file in Lectra. PDFs open for markup, notebooks open in the notebook editor, and project files open the project in the code editor.
`nano`, `vi`, `vim <file>`	In a project’s terminal panel, opens the file in the code editor next to the terminal. Creates the file if it doesn’t exist.

Shell and settings

Command	What it does
`echo`	Prints text. `-n` leaves off the new line.
`printf`	Prints formatted text. Supports `%s`, `%d`, `%i`, and `%f`.
`env`	Lists variables.
`export NAME=value`	Sets a variable.
`alias name='command'`, `unalias name`	Creates or removes a shortcut for a command.
`source file`, `. file`	Runs the commands in a file, one line at a time.
`which`	Tells you what a command is.
`clear`	Clears the screen.
`help`	Shows a summary of commands.
`date`	Shows the date and time. `-u` uses UTC. `+FORMAT` sets the format, such as `+%Y-%m-%d`.
`seq`	Prints a sequence of numbers.
`sleep N`	Waits N seconds, up to 300.
`test`, `[ ]`	Checks a condition, such as whether a file exists.
`true`, `false`	Do nothing, and succeed or fail.

To set up aliases or variables for every new tab, put the commands in a file named .lectrarc in your home folder. Lectra runs it each time you open a tab.

Python

Command	What it does
`python`, `python3`	With no file, starts interactive Python. Type `exit()` to leave.
`python file.py`	Runs a Python file. You can also use `-c "code"` or `-m module`.
`pip install <package>`	Installs a package from PyPI. Needs an internet connection.
`pip list`	Lists installed packages.

Files that a Python script creates aren’t saved to your folders. To learn which packages are included and what Python can do on your iPad, see Run Python.

Git

The git command works with repositories in your Projects folder. It supports these subcommands: init, clone, add, rm, status, commit, log, branch, tag, show, checkout, switch, restore, diff, fetch, pull, push, remote, config, rev-parse, and version. For what each one supports, how to sign in to GitHub, and the limits, see Use Git.

Remote computers

Command	What it does
`ssh user@host`	Connects to another computer, such as a Linux server, over SSH. Add `-p port` for a port other than 22.

Combine commands

The terminal supports the following:

Pipes: send one command’s output to another, such as ls | grep .py.
Redirection: save output with > or append with >>, and read input with <. You can also redirect errors with 2> and 2>&1.
Chaining: run commands in order with ;, only after success with &&, or only after failure with ||.
Wildcards: *, ?, and [a-z] match file names.
Variables: $NAME and ${NAME}. $? is the result of the last command.
Command substitution: $(command) puts one command’s output into another.
Quotes: single quotes, double quotes, and \ work as in other shells.

The terminal doesn’t support background jobs (&), if, for, or while statements, functions, or brace expansion such as {a,b}.

Use the keyboard

Key	What it does
`↑` and `↓`	Go back through earlier commands. Lectra keeps your last 1,000 commands, even after you quit.
`Tab`	Completes a file or folder name.
`Control` `C`	Cancels a Python `input()` prompt. It doesn’t stop a running command.

These keys need a hardware keyboard. The terminal has no extra key row on the on-screen keyboard, except during an SSH session. To copy output, select it and copy it. When you paste, line breaks become spaces, because the terminal takes one line at a time.

Connect to another computer with SSH

Use SSH when you need tools that Lectra doesn’t include, such as compilers or Node.js.

Start the connection

Type ssh user@host, replacing user with your account name and host with the computer’s address. Add -p 2222 if the computer uses another port.

Enter your password

At Password for user@host:, type your password, and then press Return. The password doesn’t show as you type.

Work on the remote computer

The header shows SSH and the computer’s address. A key row above the on-screen keyboard adds esc, ctrl, Tab, arrows, and other keys.

Disconnect

Tap Disconnect in the header, or type exit.

SSH in Lectra supports password sign-in only. The first time you connect to a computer, Lectra trusts it and remembers it. If that computer’s identity changes later, Lectra refuses to connect and says “Host key changed”.

Limits

The terminal runs one command at a time. Control C doesn’t stop a long-running command.
Commands that aren’t listed on this page aren’t available. For example, sed, awk, curl, tar, chmod, and less say “command not found”.
Developer tools such as node, npm, make, docker, gcc, and java aren’t available on the iPad. The terminal tells you to use SSH instead.
Some Git features aren’t available, including rebase, stash, submodules, and SSH remotes. To learn more, see Use Git.
There’s no exit, history, or unset command in the local shell.

Troubleshooting

“command not found”

The command isn’t built into Lectra’s terminal. Check the tables on this page. If you need the tool, connect to a computer that has it with ssh.

“not available in the local iPad runtime”

The tool, such as npm or make, can’t run on an iPad. Use ssh to run it on another computer.

“outside the app sandbox”

The path points outside Lectra’s storage. Work inside your home folder (~).

I deleted a file by mistake

Type trash to list deleted files, and then type trash restore followed by the file’s number or name.

nano doesn't open anything

nano, vi, and vim open files only from a project’s terminal panel. Open the project first, and then open its terminal. To learn more, see Use the code editor.

Run Python

Run Python on your iPad without an internet connection.

Use Git

Clone, commit, and push from your iPad.

Get started

Read and write

Record and understand

Code on your iPad

Your Mac and browser

Keep your work

Reference

Open the terminal

Work with tabs

Where your files are

Built-in commands

Files and folders

Read and search text

Open and edit

Shell and settings

Python

Git

Remote computers

Combine commands

Use the keyboard

Connect to another computer with SSH

Limits

Troubleshooting

Run Python

Use Git

​Open the terminal

​Work with tabs

​Where your files are

​Built-in commands

​Files and folders

​Read and search text

​Open and edit

​Shell and settings

​Python

​Git

​Remote computers

​Combine commands

​Use the keyboard

​Connect to another computer with SSH

​Limits

​Troubleshooting

​Related

Run Python

Use Git

Open the terminal

Work with tabs

Where your files are

Built-in commands

Files and folders

Read and search text

Open and edit

Shell and settings

Python

Git

Remote computers

Combine commands

Use the keyboard

Connect to another computer with SSH

Limits

Troubleshooting

Related