Definition:
When you are in the terminal and want to provide the full location, you give the absolute path.
It always starts from / (root).
After / (root), you must write the full address so that it reaches the destination location.
This path can reach the destination in two ways:
- Directly – by writing the complete address in one go.
- Recursively – by moving step by step through folders and subfolders.
Syntax:
cd /full/path/to/folder
Example 1:
In the terminal, if you are in the Documents folder and want to open the Projects folder, then type this command:
cd /home/user/Documents/Projects
Directory Structure Diagram:
/
└── home
└── user
└── Documents
└── Projects
Example 2:
When you are in the Projects directory and you want to open a file that is kept in another directory (Desktop → Images → photo.png), then follow these steps:
1. Firstly, check the present working directory:
pwd
Output:
/home/user/Documents/Projects
2. Now change the directory to the Desktop/Images folder, because this is where the file photo.png is stored.
cd /home/user/Desktop/Images
3. Check the files inside the Images folder to confirm:
ls
Output:
photo.png otherfile.txt
4. Finally, you should open the file photo.png.
xdg-open photo.png
Directory Structure Diagram:
/
└── home
└── user
├── Documents
│ └── Projects
└── Desktop
└── Images
├── photo.png
└── otherfile.txt