Command-Line – Fixing cd ` (backtick) Command Results in >

bashcommand line

When I type 

cd `

into a terminal, then I get this

>

Even ls or cd is not working. Attempting to run such a command on the > prompt just gives another > prompt.

Please explain the meaning of the above command. And how do I exit it?

Best Answer

Backticks work in pairs. Bash is waiting for you to provide another backtick to complete the command/expression.

> is simply a prompt for newline which is determined by the value of PS2 generally defined in .bashrc.

Whenever you hit Enter (if the command/expression is incomplete, i.e. backtick isn't closed), bash expects you to complete the command/expression either in one line or multiple lines. For example, you want to evaluate value of 'a' using expr. You can do

$ a=`
> expr 1 + 3`

will be interpreted as 

$ a=`expr 1 + 3`

So, if you want to run some command either complete the required expression or if there is no command/expression required in between backticks, refrain from using that. Another way is to use Ctrl+C, but that would be a Keyboard Interrupt and will make your command to terminate immediately.

To read more about backticks, read these questions on U&L: Understanding backtick and What does ` (backquote/backtick) mean in commands?

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