chmod Command
We use the chmod command to change the access
mode of a file. This command comes in many flavors, but
we'll be talking primarily about one of them.
chmod who=permissions filename
This gives “who” the specified permissions for a given filename.
The “who” is a list of letters that specifies whom you’re going to be giving permissions to. These may be specified in any order.
| Letter | Meaning |
|---|---|
u |
The user who owns the file (this means “you.”) |
g |
The group the file belongs to. |
o |
The other users |
a |
all of the above (an abbreviation for ugo)
|
Of course, the permissions are the same letters that you see in the directory listing:
r |
Permission to read the file. |
w |
Permission to write (or delete) the file. |
x |
Permission to execute the file, or, in the case of a directory, search it. |
Note: Do not put blanks around the equal sign, or your command will not work!
| << Others’ Permissions | Index | Some examples >> |