cd: Change directory

Package: language

Usage

chdir [newdir] or cd [newdir]

Parameters

newdir

The new working directory. The special name "." refers to the current directory; ".." refers to the next higher directory.

Description

Chdir is used to change the current working directory. When called without any arguments, chdir sets the default directory to "home$", the users home directory. The new directory can be specified as an IRAF logical name, as a sub-directory of the current directory, as a path from either a logical directory or the current directory, or as an operating system dependent name.

The names chdir and cd are synonyms. Note that the command back may be called after a chdir to return to the previous directory without typing its name.

Examples

1. Return to our home directory.

cl> cd

2. Go to the package logical directory "pkg$".

cl> chdir pkg

3. Go down one level to the directory "dataio", a subdirectory of "pkg".

cl> cd dataio

4. From "dataio", go back up to "pkg" and down into "images".

cl> cd ../images

5. Go to the "tv" directory, a subdirectory of "images", regardless of the current directory

cl> cd pkg$images/tv

6. On a VMS system, define a new logical directory on a different disk device and go there. Note that the character $ is not permitted in host file or directory names.

cl> set dd = scr1:[data]
cl> cd dd

See also

back, pathnames