cd Command

Purpose:

Changes the current directory.

Syntax:

cd [directory]

or

cd [directorya directoryb]

Description:

The cd command sets the current working directory of a process. The user must
have execute (search) permission in the specified directory.

If a directory parameter is not specified, the cd command sets the current
working directory to the login directory ($HOME in the ksh and bsh
environments, or $home in the csh environment). If the specified directory name
is a full path name, it becomes the current working directory. A full path name
begins with a / (slash) indicating root directory, a . (dot) indicating current
directory, or a .. (dot-dot) indicating parent directory. If the directory name
is not a full path name, the cd command searches for it relative to one of the
paths specified by the $CDPATH shell variable (or $cdpath csh variable). This
variable has the same syntax as, and similar semantics to, the $PATH shell
variable (or $path csh variable).
Note: Running /usr/bin/cd from a shell does not change the shell's working
directory. The shell's built in cd command must be used.

Exit Status

This command returns the following exit values:

0 Successful completion.

>0 An error occurred.

Examples:

1. To change the current working directory to the login (home) directory,
type:

cd

2. To change to an arbitrary directory, type:

cd /usr/include

This changes the current directory to /usr/include.
3. To go down one level of the directory tree, type:

cd sys

If the current directory is /usr/include and it contains a subdirectory
named sys, then /usr/include/sys becomes the current directory.
4. To go up one level of the directory tree, type:

cd ..

The special file name, .. (dot-dot), refers to the directory immediately
above the current directory.
5. Specifying two directory parameters substitues the string directoryb for
the string directorya in the current working directory, then makes the new
path the current directory. For example, if the current working directory
is
/home/directorya/sub1/sub2/sub3/sub4

the command
cd directorya directoryb

will set the current working directory to
/home/directoryb/sub1/sub2/sub3/sub4

if that directory exists. Additionally, if the current working directory
is:
home/directorya/sub1/sub2/sub3/sub4

the command
cd directorya directoryb/test

will set the current working directory to
home/directoryb/test/sub1/sub2/sub3/sub4

if that directory exists. Likewise, if the current working directory is
/home/directoryb/test/sub1/sub2/sub3/sub4

the command
cd directoryb/test directorya

will set the current working directory to
home/directorya/sub1/sub2/sub3/sub4

if that directory exists.

Subdirectories must all have the same name.