Echoing aliases into a .bashrc file

Question

I want to echo an alias straight into my .bashrc file. Here is what I am using:

echo alias cdear='cd | clear' >> .bashrc

However, the new line in .bashrc does not contain the quote marks.

I would also like this to go at the end of .bashrc with a line break from the last line.

How can I change my command in order to:

1. ensure the quote marks are retained?
2. ensure the alias is added to the end of the file with a line break?

Answer 1

Surround the content of echo with double quotes. To get a newline before the new alias, use echo -e and insert a newline \n:

echo -e "\nalias cdear='cd | clear'" >> .bashrc