Hey everyone 
Overview
One of the most powerful features of Magento 2, is its ability to support a plethora of administrative tasks via the Command Line Interface (CLI). Tasks are normally quicker to execute this way and it acts as a safety net if youāre having problems with the backend interface.
However, the CLI can be very daunting and confusing to anyone who has not yet used it before. And thatās because of the extreme lack of any icons, windows and mouse.
In this mini-series, Iād like to take you on a journey that will break down some of the mystery behind the CLI and how to use it safely. By the end of the series itās my hope that youāll have gained some knowledge and confidence that encourages you to have a go yourself.
As a final note, this series isnāt supposed to teach you how to become a system administrator. Itās only to you help feel more comfortable using Magento.
Feedback request
Iād like to know if there is anything that youād like me to cover during the series. Whether it be how to carry out a task or some general questions. It would also be good to get a feel for how you perceive the CLI. Is it intimidating? Does it make you curious? Do you think youād benefit from it? etcā¦
Iād like to start recording in the next few weeks, so thereās plenty of time to think about it.
Thanks for your time
Hey Craig
Sounds good and Iām sure thereās a lot you can do with CLI to warrant a mini series. Just wondering though if it might be too OTT for most people. Perhaps just one video with the main aspects? I suppose it depends on how long each episode would be.
Iām old enough to remember the Sinclair ZX81 and Commodore C64. So I was used to BASIC and Iām comfortable with using CLI. Iām not put off by seeing a blank screen and typing in text commands. The āhardestā part of it was setting up SSH. Just had to find a good youtube tutorial.
So, personally, Iād rather see a mini-series on some of the more advanced stuff about Magento. Off the top of my head (having had to google all of this stuff), it includes: VAT settings for Channel Islands (where those customers will choose UK as their country and not Jersey for example so you need to set VAT as zero for CI postcodes), GB language pack and customisation, what is Cron and what are the settings, Magento built-in cache vs varnish (and how to set up?), what all the directories are and where some Magento stuff is located (Iāve already learned a bit about app/code, vendor etc). Iām sure I could think of a lot more if I spent a bit of time. Perhaps this stuff is too advanced as well?
I hear you. This will be like a very basic thing though, like navigating directories, copying files, running magento commands etc. Iām not planning to touch anything crazy.
I get a few questions asking my things in the comments, and it would be good to start pointing people in a direction rather than explaining everything from scratch each time. Iāve no idea how long the episodes will run, but Iāll probably do what I did with the How to setup a webserver for Magento 2 series, where I heavily documented my actions in an article. That seems to have been a winner for the channel.
Ah, the good old Sinclair ZX81. I think my first computer was a gift my grandad brought home from work when I was a kid. It was an old IBM 386 that was powered on and off by a lever. This could have been it.
Itās funny you should mention VAT. Guernsey, Jersey etc were always a bit āmessyā when setting up UK sites. I think we enabled non-vat islands for UK but provided a message saying youāll pay vat if you donāt pick the right country. Or something like thatā¦
Youāve got some great ideas for me to add to the list. I think sometimes you canāt take peoples persistence for granted. Iāve spoken to a couple of people that have said theyāve never done anything like this before, but thanks to the videos theyāre able to step outside their comfort zone. So as much as Iām trying to keep stuff basic for now, people will quickly outgrow the content if I donāt touch on more advanced topics.
I appreciate the input.
