Automatic directory changes are part of the comprehensive directory navigation features built into TCC. For a summary of these features, and more information on Extended Directory Searches and CDPATH, see Directory Navigation.

 

Automatic directory changes let you change directories quickly from the command prompt, without entering an explicit CD or CDD command. Simply type the name of the directory you want to change to at the prompt, with a terminating backslash (\) (either entered manually, or automatically via the Add \ to Directories configuration option). For example:

 

[c:\] tcmd\

[c:\tcmd]

 

This can make directory changes very simple when it's combined with Extended Directory Searches or CDPATH. If you have enabled either of those features, TCC will use them in searching for a directory with an automatic directory change.

 

For example, suppose Extended Directory Searches are enabled, and the directory WIN exists on drive E:. You can change to this directory with a single word on the command line:

 

[c:\tcmd] win\

[e:\win]

 

This depends on the way Extended Directory Changes are configured, and the number of subdirectories on your disk whose names contain the string WIN, when you execute such a command you may see an immediate change as shown above, or a popup window which contains a list of subdirectories matching WIN to choose from.

 

The text before the backslash can include a drive letter, a full path, a partial path, or a UNC name (see File Systems for details on UNC names). Commands like "....\" can be used to move up the directory tree quickly (see Extended Parent Directory Names).

 

If you enter a directory name without the trailing backslash, the parser will change to that directory if no internal or external command of that name is found (and before the UNKNOWN_CMD alias is executed.)

 

All directory changes, including automatic ones, save the current directory so it can be recalled with a CDD - or CD - command.

 

For example, any of the following are valid automatic directory change entries:

 

[c:\] d:\data\finance\

[c:\] archives\

[c:\] ...\util\scanner\

[c:\] \\server\vol1\george\

 

The first and last examples change to the named directory. The second changes to the ARCHIVES subdirectory of the current directory, and the third changes to the UTIL\SCANNER subdirectory of the directory which is two levels up from the current directory in the tree.