Directory Navigation

TCC remembers both a current or default drive for your system as a whole, and a current or default directory for every drive in your system. The current directory on the current drive is sometimes called the current working directory.

 

With traditional command processors, you change the current drive by typing the new drive letter plus a colon at the prompt. You change the current working directory with the CD command. TCC supports these standard features, and offer a number of enhancements to make directory navigation much simpler and faster.

 

This section begins with a summary of all the TCC directory navigation features. It also provides detailed documentation on the enhanced directory search features: Extended Directory Searches and CDPATH.

 

The TCC directory navigation features are in three groups: features which help TCC find the directory you want, methods for initiating a directory change with a minimal amount of typing, and methods for returning easily to directories you've recently used. Each group is summarized below.

 

Finding Directories

 

Traditional command processors require you to explicitly type the name of the directory you want to change to. TCC supports this method, and also offers two significant enhancements:

 

OnestepThe CDPATH variable allows you to enter a specific list of directories to be searched, rather than searching a database. Use CDPATH instead of Extended Directory Searches if you find the extended searches too broad, or your hard drive has too many directories for an efficient search.

 

OnestepExtended Directory Searches allows TCC to search a database of all the directories on your system to find the one you want.

 

Changing Directories

 

TCC supports the traditional methods of changing directories, and also offers several more flexible approaches:

 

OnestepAutomatic directory changes allow you to type a directory name at the prompt and switch to it automatically, without typing an explicit CD or similar command.

 

OnestepThe CD command can change directories on a single drive, and can return to the most recently used directory.

 

OnestepThe CDD command changes drive and directory at the same time, and can return to the most recently used drive and directory.

 

OnestepThe PUSHD command changes the drive and directory like CDD, and records the previous directory in a directory "stack."  You can view the stack with the DIRS command or the @DIRSTACK function, and return to the directory on the top of the stack with POPD.

 

CDD, PUSHD, and automatic directory changes can also change to network drives and directories mapped to drive letters and to ones specified with UNC names (see File Systems for details).

 

Returning to a Previous Directory

 

CMD does not remember previously-used directories, and can only "return" to a directory by changing back to it with a standard drive change or CD command. TCC supports three additional, simpler methods for returning to a previous directory:

 

OnestepThe CD - and CDD - commands can be used to return to the previous working directory (the one you used immediately before the current directory). Use these commands if you are working in two directories and alternating between them.

 

OnestepThe directory history window allows you to select one of several recently-used directories from a popup list and return to it immediately. The window displays the contents of the directory history list.

 

OnestepThe POPD command returns to the last directory saved by PUSHD. The directory stack holds 2048 characters, enough for 40 to 80 typical drive and directory entries.