This post is from Unix tips from IBM. What happens if you’re using the same file name for a series of commands? Well, there’s a shortcut that can quickly retrieve the last file name you used.

What happens if you’re using the same file name for a series of commands? Well, there’s a shortcut that can quickly retrieve the last file name you used. As shown below, the !$ command returns the file name that the previous command used. The file this-is-a-long-lunch-menu-file.txt is searched for occurrences of the word pickles. After searching, the vi command is used to edit the this-is-a-long-lunch-menu-file.txt file without the need for retyping the file name. You use the bang, or exclamation point (!), to access the history, and the dollar sign ($) returns the last field of the previous command. It’s a great tool if you are using long file names repeatedly.

$ grep pickles this-is-a-long-lunch-menu-file.txt  
pastrami on rye with pickles and onions  
$ vi !$