linux navigate file system
# View file lists
$ pwd
/home/username
$ ls
.
..
bin
Desktop
despacer.sh
documentation.zip
Documents
Music
people
Pictures
Public
$ ls --classify
.
..
bin/
Desktop/
despacer.sh
documentation.zip*
Documents/
Music/
people/
Pictures/
Public/
# Open a folder
$ pwd
/home/username
$ cd bin
$ pwd
/home/username/bin
$ ls
crossfade.sh
fop
normy.sh
# Close a folder
# If you're in one location because you used the cd command,
# you can "close" that location by going back to your home directory.
$ cd
$ pwd
/home/username
# Navigate directories
# Here are some example paths:
/home/username/bin
/home/username/despacer.sh
/home/username/documentation.zip*
/home/username/people
# Because you return home often, your home directory can be abbreviated
# as ~. For instance:
~/bin
~/despacer.sh
~/documentation.zip*
~/people
# To navigate directly to the people folder:
$ cd ~/people
$ pwd
/home/username/people
# To change to the developers directory from your current location,
# do the following:
$ cd ./developers
$ pwd
/home/username/people/developers
# To reach the to /home/seth/people/developers directory instantly
# from anywhere, instantly:
$ cd ~/people/developers
$ pwd
/home/username/people/developers
# Tell cd to take you up one folder: (You can keep using this trick)
$ cd ..
$ pwd
/home/username/people
# You can also return home using this shortcut:
$ cd ~
$ pwd
/home/username
# Or like this:
$ cd
$ pwd
/home/username
# Absolute paths
# Use the absolute path to any location:
$ cd ~/people/developers
$ pwd
/home/username/people/developers
# To find where you want to go, use the ls command to "open" a
# directory and look inside:
$ ls --classify ~/people/
developers/
marketing/
$ cd /home/username/people/developers
$ pwd
/home/username/people/developers