Working Efficiently Within Different Directories in a Linux Shell
Table of Contents
Introduction
Suppose you need to perform work in multiple directories:
/var/www/html/etc/apache2/etc/ssl/certs~/Work/Projects/Web/src
You might use the cd command, but repeatedly typing it is inefficient:
$ cd ~/Work/Projects/Web/src
$ cd /var/www/html
$ cd /etc/apache2
$ cd ~/Work/Projects/Web/src
$ cd /etc/ssl/certs
A more efficient approach is using the directory stack.
Directory Stack
The directory stack allows pushing and popping directories.
- Pushing a directory adds it to the top of the stack.
- Popping removes the topmost directory.
- Initially, the stack contains only your current directory.
Push a Directory onto the Stack
Use pushd to:
- Add a directory to the top of the stack.
- Change to that directory.
- Print the updated stack.
Example:
$ pwd
/home/john/Work/Projects/Web/src
$ pushd /var/www/html
/var/www/html ~/Work/Projects/Web/src
$ pushd /etc/apache2
/etc/apache2 /var/www/html ~/Work/Projects/Web/src
$ pushd /etc/ssl/certs
/etc/ssl/certs /etc/apache2 /var/www/html ~/Work/Projects/Web/src
$ pwd
/etc/ssl/certs
View a Directory Stack
Print the stack using dirs:
$ dirs -p
/etc/ssl/certs
/etc/apache2
/var/www/html
~/Work/Projects/Web/src
Or with numbering:
$ dirs -v
0 /etc/ssl/certs
1 /etc/apache2
2 /var/www/html
3 ~/Work/Projects/Web/src
Pop a Directory from the Stack
Use popd to:
- Remove the top directory from the stack.
- Change to the new top directory.
- Print the updated stack.
Example:
$ popd
/etc/apache2 /var/www/html ~/Work/Projects/Web/src
$ popd
/var/www/html ~/Work/Projects/Web/src
$ popd
~/Work/Projects/Web/src
$ popd
bash: popd: directory stack empty
$ pwd
~/Work/Projects/Web/src
Swap Directories on the Stack
Running pushd with no arguments swaps the top two directories:
$ dirs
/etc/apache2 ~/Work/Projects/Web/src /var/www/html
$ pushd
~/Work/Projects/Web/src /etc/apache2 /var/www/html
$ pushd
/etc/apache2 ~/Work/Projects/Web/src /var/www/html
Turn a Mistaken cd into a pushd
If you accidentally use cd, restore the lost directory:
$ dirs
~/Work/Projects/Web/src /var/www/html /etc/apache2
$ cd /etc/ssl/certs
$ dirs
/etc/ssl/certs /var/www/html /etc/apache2
Fix it with:
$ pushd -
~/Work/Projects/Web/src /etc/ssl/certs /var/www/html /etc/apache2
$ pushd
/etc/ssl/certs ~/Work/Projects/Web/src /var/www/html /etc/apache2
Go Deeper into the Stack
Use pushd +N to shift directories:
$ dirs
/etc/ssl/certs ~/Work/Projects/Web/src /var/www/html /etc/apache2
$ pushd +1
~/Work/Projects/Web/src /var/www/html /etc/apache2 /etc/ssl/certs
$ pushd +2
/etc/apache2 /etc/ssl/certs ~/Work/Projects/Web/src /var/www/html
Or print numbered directories before jumping:
$ dirs -v
0 /etc/apache2
1 /etc/ssl/certs
2 ~/Work/Projects/Web/src
3 /var/www/html
To jump to /var/www/html, use:
$ pushd +3
Remove directories with popd +N:
$ dirs
/var/www/html /etc/apache2 /etc/ssl/certs ~/Work/Projects/Web/src
$ popd +1
/var/www/html /etc/ssl/certs ~/Work/Projects/Web/src
$ popd +2
/var/www/html /etc/ssl/certs