16.4. Navigating the Terminal Window

Moving from a GUI to a CLI can be tricky because we are used to dragging our files from one folder to another. The first skill we need to practice is how to figure out where we are in the filesystem!

On the previous page, we used pwd to print the path to our current directory. However, we can also find clues inside the terminal prompt:

Mac
   device_name:directory_name username$

Windows
   username@device_name MINGW64 path$

directory_name and path tell us our location in the system. As we enter commands, device_name and username stay the same. However, path and directory_name change.

Note

In the remaining terminal examples, we will just display the $ symbol from the prompt.

16.4.1. Moving Between Directories

We often need to move between directories in the file system. The command cd (for change directory) allows us to do this. The general syntax is:

cd new_directory

new_directory is the path for where we want to be. We do NOT need to indicate our current location.

Example

Let’s assume we want to move from our current location in the file tree (Photos) to Chemistry.

The terminal command to make this move appears on line 3:

$ pwd
/MyLaptop/Photos
$ cd /MyLaptop/School/Chemistry
$ pwd
/MyLaptop/School/Chemistry

In this case, we included pwd to show our starting and ending locations. However, these commands were not necessary for the move.

16.4.1.1. Navigation Shortcuts

When moving through a file tree, we often only need to move up or down one level. For quick changes like this, we don’t need to type out a full path.

Examples

Let’s say we want to move up one level from Chemistry to School. Instead of typing out the entire absolute path, we can use a terminal shortcut!

$ pwd
/MyLaptop/School/Chemistry
$ cd ..
$ pwd
/MyLaptop/School

The cd .. shortcut tells the terminal, From the current directory, move up one level.

To move down one level from a parent directory into a subdirectory, the path syntax is ./directory_name.

$ pwd
/MyLaptop/School
$ cd ./LCHS
$ pwd
/MyLaptop/School/LCHS

The . represents the path to the current directory. In this case, it stands for /MyLaptop/School. The command on line 3 tells the terminal, From the current directory, move into the LCHS subdirectory.

The .. and . shortcuts can also be part of a longer path. For example, cd ../.. moves us up two levels from our current directory, while cd ./directory_name/other_directory_name moves us down two levels.

16.4.2. Feedback

Another big difference between a GUI and a CLI involves the amount of feedback we receive. With a GUI, we can see when we move, create, or delete a file. An icon appears, moves, or disappears as we perform the action. Sometimes a window even pops up to give us more information.

A GUI provides visual feedback.

The terminal rarely displays an output to let us know when a change occurs. We need to keep an eye on the prompt and be more deliberate about checking the results of our commands.

16.4.3. Check Your Understanding

Use this file tree to help answer the following questions:

Question

Assume we start in the Homework directory. In the terminal, we execute the following command:

$ cd ../..

What is the path to our new location in the filesystem?

1. /MyLaptop/School/LCHS/Homework
2. /MyLaptop/School/LCHS
3. /MyLaptop/School
4. /MyLaptop

Question

Which TWO of the following terminal commands gets us from Homework to Misc Docs?

1. cd /MyLaptop/Desktop/MiscDocs
2. cd /LCHS/School/MyLaptop/Desktop/MiscDocs
3. cd ../../../Desktop/MiscDocs
4. cd ./Desktop/MiscDocs