Comments on: Hack 1. Use CDPATH to define the base directory for cd command http://linux.101hacks.com/cd-command/cdpath/ Free eBook to Build a Strong Foundation in UNIX / Linux Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:33:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jonathan http://linux.101hacks.com/cd-command/cdpath/comment-page-1/#comment-2016 Jonathan Thu, 20 Jan 2011 02:54:44 +0000 http://linux.101hacks.com/?p=3#comment-2016 Exporting CDPATH has the unfortunate side effect of breaking some utilities implemented as shell scripts. (There are two effects shell script authors might not be prepared for: "cd" suddenly jumps to unexpected directories, and it writes text to the standard output.) By contrast, a simple if test "${PS1+set}"; then CDPATH=whatever; fi in .bashrc sets CDPATH in interactive shells, without exporting it to noninteractive scripts. From <a href="https://git.wiki.kernel.org/index.php?title=GitFaq&oldid=12932#Why_is_it_wrong_to_export_the_environment_variable_CDPATH.3F" rel="nofollow">here</a> Exporting CDPATH has the unfortunate side effect of breaking some utilities implemented as shell scripts. (There are two effects shell script authors might not be prepared for: “cd” suddenly jumps to unexpected directories, and it writes text to the standard output.)

By contrast, a simple

if test “${PS1+set}”; then CDPATH=whatever; fi

in .bashrc sets CDPATH in interactive shells, without exporting it to noninteractive scripts.

From here

]]> By: Francois Begin http://linux.101hacks.com/cd-command/cdpath/comment-page-1/#comment-375 Francois Begin Mon, 05 Apr 2010 20:00:42 +0000 http://linux.101hacks.com/?p=3#comment-375 The order in which you define the directories with CDPATH determines where you end up. For instance, assume you have set CDPATH to this CDPATH=.:/var:~ If you are located at the root of the filesystem (/) and type in 'cd tmp', you will end up in /tmp since the 'cd' command matches './tmp' first. If you were in /etc when you type 'cd tmp', then 'cd' would look for './tmp' i.e. '/etc/tmp' first. If not found, it would then look for /var/tmp. If not found, it would finally look for ~/tmp. Just keep that in mind if you have multiple entries in CDPATH and try to go into a subdirectory with a common name such as 'log', 'tmp', etc. The order in which you define the directories with CDPATH determines where you end up. For instance, assume you have set CDPATH to this

CDPATH=.:/var:~

If you are located at the root of the filesystem (/) and type in ‘cd tmp’, you will end up in /tmp since the ‘cd’ command matches ‘./tmp’ first.

If you were in /etc when you type ‘cd tmp’, then ‘cd’ would look for ‘./tmp’ i.e. ‘/etc/tmp’ first. If not found, it would then look for /var/tmp. If not found, it would finally look for ~/tmp.

Just keep that in mind if you have multiple entries in CDPATH and try to go into a subdirectory with a common name such as ‘log’, ‘tmp’, etc.

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