pushd

Understanding pushd

pushd is a shell built-in that allows you to save the current working directory onto a stack and then change to a new directory. This means you can easily switch between multiple directories without having to remember their paths or use lengthy cd commands repeatedly. The beauty of pushd lies in its ability to maintain a history of your directory changes, allowing you to quickly return to previously visited locations.

Basic Usage

The simplest form of pushd involves specifying the target directory:

pushd /path/to/your/directory

This command does two things:

1. It pushes the current working directory onto a stack.
2. It changes the current working directory to /path/to/your/directory.

To verify the change, you can use the pwd (print working directory) command.

Let’s illustrate with an example:

pwd  # Output: /home/user
pushd /tmp
pwd  # Output: /tmp

Returning to Previous Directories with popd

The companion command to pushd is popd (pop directory). This command removes the top directory from the stack and changes the current working directory to the directory that was previously on top.

popd
pwd  # Output: /home/user

In this example, popd effectively reversed the action of pushd, returning us to our original directory.

Working with the Directory Stack

The pushd command also allows you to manipulate the directory stack directly. You can display the stack using the command without arguments:

pushd

This will print the current stack of directories. The top of the stack (the current directory) is usually displayed first. Note that the exact output format might vary slightly depending on your shell.

Pushing to Relative Paths

pushd works seamlessly with relative paths:

mkdir -p mydir/subdir
pushd mydir/subdir
pwd # Output: /path/to/your/home/mydir/subdir (replace with your actual path)
popd
popd #This will go back to your original directory before creating mydir/subdir.

This example creates a directory structure and then navigates into the subdir using a relative path.

Advanced Usage: Pushing to Specific Stack Positions

While less commonly used, pushd allows you to push directories to specific positions within the stack using a ‘+’ or ‘-’ before the directory. Although the behaviour might differ slightly between shells.

#Example with + (This command may not be supported by all shells)
pushd +1  # Moves you to the second directory on the stack (if it exists)

This behaviour is less standardized than other pushd usages. Consult your shell’s documentation for specifics on advanced stack manipulation.

Conclusion: