cd Command

The cd command is used to change the current directory of the shell. It allows the user to navigate through the filesystem by specifying a target path. If the specified directory exists, the shell’s current directory is updated to that path.

Usage

The basic syntax for the cd command is as follows:

cd <target_directory>

Arguments

target_directory: (Required) The path to the directory you want to change to. This path can be absolute or relative to the current directory.

Description

The cd command allows users to change the current working directory of the shell. This command is used to navigate the filesystem, and after execution, the shell will be positioned in the specified directory, making it the current working directory for further commands.

If the target directory exists, the shell’s current path is updated to this directory. If the specified directory does not exist or if an invalid path is provided, an error message will be displayed.

Options

target_directory: Specifies the directory to which the shell should change. This can be an absolute path (e.g., /home/user/docs) or a relative path from the current directory (e.g., ../parent_dir).

Examples

Change to a specific directory:
```
cd /home/user/docs
```
This will change the current directory to /home/user/docs.
Change to a directory relative to the current path:
```
cd ../parent_dir
```
This will change the current directory to parent_dir, which is one level up from the current directory.

Error Handling

If there is an error with the path provided, the following messages will be shown:

“No path supplied to cd”: This occurs when the cd command is issued without a target directory path.
“No such file or directory”: This occurs if the target directory does not exist.
“Error evaluating path”: This occurs if there is an issue parsing the provided path.

Notes

If no target directory is provided, the command will display an error and the current directory will remain unchanged.
The path provided can be either absolute or relative. If it is relative, it is resolved based on the current directory.
Changing directories in the shell does not affect the underlying system’s current working directory, but rather updates the shell’s own state.
The cd command only works with directories. It will fail if the specified path is a file.