To create an alias...
manually each time you need one, simply type:
alias shortCommand='Long Command With Options and Arguments'
To have the aliases automatically created, you need to add them to a file. .bash_aliases is the default for many distros. Create a file that only contains the alias you need, for example:
alias ll='ls -ll'
alias la='ls -la'
alias lla='ls -lla'
etc.
Then include a line in your ~/.profile file to execute the file (see .env example below). Since I work with multiple UNIX systems, I created a new file called .env in which I put my personal settings. It's unique to me and it allows me to execute a script I have to copy the file to all of my UNIX servers to keep them in sync. I think add the following line to my .profile file:
. .env
Both periods are important! If I have to or want to add a new alias or make a change, I do it once and execute my script to copy the file to the other servers.
