Navigating Directories
Whenever you see a directory in your list, you're on a level above that directory. To move down a level into the directory you've created, type "cd (directory name)". cd (stands for "change directory"), moves you around in UNIX.
Now that you're in the directory you created, enter "pwd" (print working directory) to see the path from your home directory to the directory you're in now.
Example_Dir
server{username}: cd Example_dir
server{username}: pwd
/home/username/examples/Example_dir
server{username}: |
There are three special symbols in UNIX that are important to know for navigation. The first is ".", which refers to the directory you're currently in. ".." points to the directory above the current one, also referred to as the parent directory. Therefore, "cd .." takes you one directory up in the list. Finally, "~" refers to your personal directory (which for me, is username). You can use ~ with cd to quickly return to your home directory.
Also note that you can create a chain of directories with cd to move through multiple layers of folders quickly. As shown below, I can get from my home directory to Example_Dir by entering "cd examples/Example_Dir".
/home/username/examples/Example_dir
server{username}: cd .
server{username}: pwd
/home/username/examples/Example_dir
server{username}: cd ..
server{username}: pwd
/home/username/examples
server{username}: cd ~
server{username}: pwd
/home/username
server{username}: cd examples/Example_dir
server{username}: pwd
/home/username/examples/Example_dir
server{username}: |
As you only have your home directory and the directory we made at the beginning of the tutorial, feel free to make more directories and practice navigating around before moving on.